R34P3R
by Batman Lamp-Writer
Summary: After living in Madison, Danny is transferred by his guardian back to Amity Park. Now, Danny is uncovering secrets about his past that date back to 7,000 BC! Can his friends help him find out the secrets of the ancient Reapers? Contains all series books.
1. Hidden Death 1

A/N: Okiez, so to clear up some confusion, this book will contain every story in the R34P3R series as I post them. They will also be posted separately, but I'm putting together this book as a sort of plus to the individuals. This book will contain some "special features" that the individual books won't have. You'll see. ;P

H!DD3N D347H: Part one of the R34P3R series. After just transferring in, Danny's very first case involves the murder of one of his sisters. When the only suspect he has is his uncle and his surviving sister seems suspicious, can Danny find out who it really was? (Five chapters)

Also: I do not own Scooby Doo or Danny Phantom. The latter belongs to the all-powerful Butch Hartman. He shall rule the world. Or the Danny Phantom-verse, whichever comes first.

So, here be R34P3R (1337 for REAPER) Book One: Hidden Death!

234032

"Excuse me, sir?" one of Lancer's best agents, the violet-haired, violet-eyed Sam(antha) Manson said, her head appearing in the doorway. "Someone's here to see you."

Lancer looked up, quirking a dark brown eyebrow. No one ever came in at this time of day. "Uh, okay. Send him in."

Her head ducked back out, most likely to tell the person to go in. Sure enough, a moment later a lanky, tall man stepped inside, carrying a large box. He had dark blue hair kept back by a thick red headband that had a gold dragon ring in the front. He looked up at Lancer, locking bright blue eyes on his face. "Um," he said, unsure, "are you Mr. Lancer?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, uh, I was told I was to check in here?"

"For what?"

The man blinked. "Uh, where to unpack."

"Un—_why?_"

"B—Because I'm being transferred in."

"What? From where?"

"Uh, Madison, Wisconsin, sir."

"How did I not hear about this?"

"I—I dunno, they were s'posed to have told you!"

"Who was in charge of handling this?"

"M—Vlad Masters, sir."

"Masters? Isn't he the head of the Wisconsin branch?"

"Yessir, he is."

"Well, why didn't he inform me?"

"I—I dunno! He said he'd gone over everything!"

Lancer ceased his pacing to stare the man in the eye. His blue eyes were covered by his bangs, making him look shy. "Who are you?"

"D—Daniel R—Ryder, sir."

"Relationship to Masters?"

"S—Sir, he's my uncle."

"Really? Who were your parents?"

"J—Jack and Maddie R—Ryder, sir."

"But he's—"

"It was a very distant relation, sir."

"…I see. Your reason for leaving?"

Daniel seemed to wince. "That's—it's a long story, sir, one I'm sure you don't want to hear, given the fact you're looking for any reason to send me back there."

"Well, you—" Lancer stopped, turning to stare at the other man. "How'd you guess that?"

"I've—I've always been good at reading people, sir, at least most the time."

"…I see…."

"Uh, sir?" Sam's head was back, poking in the door. She looked nervous.

"Yes?"

"There's been a murder downtown. They want us to check it out ASAP."

"Right. Ryder!" Daniel jumped. "You'll have to tag along. Can't leave you alone here. Stick with Lieutenant Manson unless I tell you otherwise, got it?"

"Uh, y—yessir."

"Manson, gather Foley and the team, let's go."

"Right, sire," Sam said, her eyes staying on the other man's form. He blushed and ducked his head.

Something was off about him….

-!))3\ )347-

Tucker Foley ran back to tell their chief what he'd seen. His black hair had been uncovered as he ran, a red hat flying off. His blue-green eyes were hidden as the sun reflected off his glasses. "Sir, someone did a number on 'er."

"Who's the vic, Foley?" Lancer asked.

"Jane Doe. No ID on her, anywhere."

"Who's room was it?"

"A Jazmine Smith. The other witnesses say she's not the vic."

Daniel let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. _It's not Jazz…._

"Manson, Foley, and Grey, you three check around for evidence."

"What about Ryder, sir?"

Lancer glanced at Daniel, who was trying to calm down. "Ryder!"

He jumped. "S—Sir?"

"How old are you?"

Daniel winced again. "I—I turned nineteen a few weeks ago."

Lancer gave him a withering look before speaking. "Manson, stay with him. I'll go with Foley and Grey."

The three went into the building, and Sam was stuck glaring at Daniel, who was still jumpy.

"First crime scene, huh?" she asked smugly, watching the young man shake slightly.

"N—No, just—I know people who live there."

"I see. Who do you know?"

"…Jazmine Smith."

"_The owner of the apartment?_"

"Y—Yes…ma'am."

Sam glared again. "I'm not the one in charge, so don't try buttering _me_ up."

"S—Sorry. D—Did they say what the vic looked like?"

"Yeah. Red hair, brown eyes, freckles, tall. Why?"

"C—Can I call someone? I needa check something."

"…Do you _know_ the _vic?_"

"N—No, I just wanna check in with Jazmine."

"…Okay. But hurry!"

Daniel ran off immediately. When he was a block away, he pulled out a cell phone and dialed, not noticing as Sam followed him. Pressing it to his ear, he started a mantra of "Please pick up, please pick up".

"_Hello, you've reached Jazmine Smith. I'm not available right now, so leave a message, and I'll get back to you later."_

"_Kuso!_" Daniel screamed into the phone. "Jazz, I _know_ you're there! I _know_ what happened to Jack!"

"_D—Danny?"_ a cracking voice said.

"Jazz, please, what happened?"

"_Oh, __**Danny!**__ I was right there, but I couldn't stop them!"_

"Who, Jazz?"

"_I—I couldn't see them, well, only one…."_

"_Who?_"

"_H—He was fighting me, trying to keep me busy while they—they—Danny, they shot her through the stomach!"_

"_**Who?**_"

"_I—It was… oh, Danny, it was Plasmius!"_

"Wha—? N—No, it _can't_ have…."

"_Danny, he turned on us."_

"No, he—he—"

"_Danny, I was __**there,**__ I saw him. I was __**fighting**__ against him! It. Was. __**Plasmius.**__"_

"Jazz, I—I… I _lived_ with him, Jazz. Why turn _now?_"

"_How should __**I**__ know? Ask __**him, **__ask the __**fruitloop.**__"_

"I—okay. I will. Jazz, please… be careful."

"_You, too, … __**little brother.**__"_

-!))3\ )347-

Daniel had just walked back when Lancer and the others came out. He went straight up to Lancer, saying, "Please let me see the scene."

Lancer stared him down before nodding. "Alright. Come with me and _don't touch __**anything.**_"

"Right. Thank you, sir."

Lancer led him up to the room, stopping in front of the door. "It was pretty vicious, you know."

"I understand, sir."

Seeing Daniel wouldn't give up, Lancer nodded again. "…Alright." He opened the door and let Daniel inside.

The minute he walked in, he could feel it everywhere. Something wasn't right about this scene. As long as he could remember, Daniel had _never_ been wrong about something like this.

He looked over everything, the feeling never leaving. He saw the blood all over the walls, the smashed pictures, the knocked-over furniture….

The body. The bloody body with a hole in its stomach. If anyone who didn't understand looked at this, they'd say—

"It looks like a missile went through-and-through, the disappeared," Lancer said when he saw where Daniel was looking.

"It looks that way, doesn't it?"

Lancer noticed the way Daniel was studying the scene. "You're doing pretty well for your first crime scene."

Daniel shook his head, not letting his eyes leave the bookshelf he was staring at. "It's not my first scene."

Lancer blinked. "It's… not?"

"No. I've seen a _lot_ worse in Wisconsin."

"Really? I wouldn't expect that."

"Yeah, trouble seems to follow me." Daniel walked over to the bookcase, running a finger through the air in front of the books and looking over the titles. He paused, finger pointing at one small, leather-bound book. Without looking away, he called, "Do you have any gloves, sir?"

Lancer blinked again. "Yes."

"Hand me one."

Lancer tossed one to him, and Daniel pulled it on quickly. Then, he grabbed the book, wedging it out from between two large ones. He suddenly disappeared as the bookshelf spun around. Lancer stared for a second before calling out, "Daniel?"

No response.

Lancer pulled out his cell phone, calling Sam immediately.

"_Hello?"_

"Sam, we've got a problem."

-!))3\ )347-

"So, he just _disappeared?_"

"The bookshelf spun around, like something you'd see in Scooby Doo."

"Did something trigger it?"

"He pulled a book out."

Sam inspected the shelf. "All these books are on psychology."

"Look for a small, leather-bound book."

"…I'm _not_ touching it!"

"You don't have to, just find it."

She continued to look, a minute later calling out, "Found it!" She was pointing at a book labeled _The Three Wonders of the Ghost Zone_ by Camarin Workowski.

Valerie walked over, about to pull it out.

"_Wait!_" Lancer called. She turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "Ryder's not responding. Something could've happened to him. …Be careful."

She nodded, pulling the book out and jumping backwards. She just barely made it, falling back as it turned. It continued to spin, the book having been completely removed this time. Finally it stopped sideways, leaving two pathways to… whatever was behind the shelf.

Valerie and Sam nodded to each other, pulling out their guns as they each took one of the paths. Tucker and lancer followed behind. A moment later, the girls gasped loudly and called back, "Get the EMT over here, STAT!"

Tucker nodded, dialing as quickly as he could while Lancer walked forward to see what was wrong. He gaped at the site.

Daniel was on the ground in a dungeon-like room. His head was tilted to the left, showing a matted spot where he had hit it against a rock. Blood was pooling around him even as Sam worked to cover the injury.

"W—We shouldn't move him until the meds get here," Lancer said, still in shock.

"Good, we wouldn't be able to, anyway," Valerie replied. "Someone cuffed him to the rocks. They were planning for _someone_ to be here."

"Yeah, but _who?_"

"I think Daniel might know," Sam said suddenly. "When I described the vic to him, he started freaking out, then left to call someone. I followed him and listened in. He asked who had done it several times, then got really quiet. Said something about living with him. That's all I heard."

"So, he knows the vic, the owner of the apartment, _and _the perp." Lancer looked around at them. "Anyone else think we're missing something here?"

234032

A/N: For the special feature on the first chapter: When Danny first came in, I had originally planned that he was going to go by Fenton, but later on decided that would be too easy for them to put together that he was _that_ Danny Fenton. From there, he took on the name Masters, however, Danny was semi-panicking by the time Lancer asked for his name, thus Ryder popped out. You can tell Danny's panicking when he starts using British slang. ;P

Also, yes, Lancer is younger and in charge here. He was the first person I thought of to use as the guy in charge, so there he is. Oh, and trust me on this, he will eventually get annoyed to the point of screaming out book titles. ;P


	2. HD 2

A/N: Here be Chapter Two.

234032

"Please, I _need_ to see if he's okay!" Daniel woke up to a voice yelling.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we can't let anyone in." That was one of the guards.

"Please, I'm—I'm a good friend of his! I _need_ to see him!"

"No one is allowed to see him unless they're family or a detective."

"Fine! But I'll get in there somehow!"

Daniel sat up, but fell over while trying. It was then that he realized how badly his head and wrists hurt. He lay back down slowly, staying off his hands. He raised them in front of his face, muttering, "What the hell happened?"

"I think that's the question _everyone's _asking nowadays," Sam Manson said, walking into the room. "What _the hell_ happened?"

"I—I dunno. I pulled that book, and the shelf turned, and…" His eyes widened, and he sat up. "I hit my head on a rock! Someone… someone said… said it was… about time I got there…. Then, then they… they put shackles on me… and they said… 'You can't…you can't…'" Daniel broke off, gasping.

"What?" Sam asked, blinking in confusion. Why couldn't he continue?

"The—They won't let me… they won't let me say what they said…." He pulled his legs up to his chest, laying his chin on his knees. Sam suddenly got the feeling that Daniel had been forced into this kind of life at much too young an age. So young, in fact, that he probably didn't _have_ a childhood.

Or very little of one.

She knew all the cases from her lifetime. She had heard of the Fenton case. How could she not have? It was on the news for _weeks_ after it happened. It had never truly been solved, either. No one knew how the parents had mysteriously died at the same time in the same way while their two daughters disappeared completely. The only known survivor, the youngest, was a boy named Danny, aged about six at the time. He was taken in by some anonymous uncle and moved far, far away from the small town of Amity Park, Arizona.

Now, this man named Daniel sat in front of her, rocking on his toes. The Fenton boy would've been around nineteen this year, it being the thirteenth anniversary of his family's death. Sam had definitely been right.

Something was _seriously_ off about him.

-!))3\ )347-

Sam left her station by Daniel's bed for only a minute, but when she was on her way back, she heard two voices coming from inside.

"What, Vlad?" Daniel was saying.

"This is what I get for coming to see you, huh? Accusations?" a second voice replied.

"Cut it, Vlad. I can tell when you want something, and you _definitely_ want something. What?"

"…I know what happened to her."

"How? They shouldn't have released the story to the public so soon! Or at least, I wouldn't have…."

"Dan, I moved you for a reason. And not just because you'd be closer to your sisters."

"Vlad, I _am_ close to them."

"I know." There was a pause. "What? You think I wouldn't notice all the calls you were getting from Jazmine Smith and Jackelyn Ryder? Come _on_, boy, I may be old, but I'm not _blind!_"

"…It's my fault…."

"How, Dan? You've only been here one day. _No one_ could have found you that quickly!"

"Some already knew."

"Are…are you saying… _Clockwork_ did this?"

"No, I'm saying _Plasmius_ did."

"Wh—_What?_ _Plasmius?_ You think I—_he_ did this?"

"Yeah, especially given Jazz's statement and MO. She was hit through the stomach, Vlad, just like Plasmius normally does."

"Daniel, Plasmius didn't _get_ here until today. How could he have—?"

"He can freakin' _fly,_ Vlad! _Chikoshu_, I'm not an idiot!"

"I _know_ that, Daniel, and so does he! You think _he'd _be stupid enough to attack like this, huh?"

"I—I… I dunno." There was another pause as Sam snuck closer to the door, now able to see Daniel as he shook his head. "I just dunno, Vlad. I dunno who I can trust. I haven' known since I was a kid! The two of you have _always_ been pushing at each other, and I Just _Dunno!_"

"I see," Vlad said, his lips forming a thin line. "Fine, Daniel. I'll be back later." Sam backed away again as a man walked out. Daniel flopped back down onto the bed, groaning. His groan promptly turned into a yelp, however, as he landed on the back of his head.

"_Kuso…_" he murmured. "_Chikoshu kuso…._"

"Are you okay?" Sam asked quietly, walking into the room.

"Yeah." He slowly dragged a hand through his hair, wincing slightly. "Though I have this feeling my uncle's going to disown me…."

"Why?"

'Because I accused a friend of his for something."

"What did you accuse him of?"

"…Killing someone."

"Who?"

"…my…my sister."

"Your… who was she?"

"J—Jackelyn. Jack." He sighed heavily. "It's not like her death was a big deal for me. After all, I haven't seen her since I was little, but we talked. Now, she's just… gone. And I guess I feel… like it's… my fault."

"But it's not. It's the fault of whoever killed her."

"_You don't get it!_" he snapped. "No one does! It's _my_ fault because of my stupid side job! She's gone… and it's because of me."

-!))3\ )347-

Sam was still going over that conversation in her head, even after Daniel was released from the hospital the next day. Even as Lancer went over the evidence from the murder.

"We've got _nothing!_" Lancer yelled, slamming a hand onto the table. "We don't even know who our vic _was!_ It's like she dropped off the face of the planet!"

Daniel fidgeted in his chair, glancing about before standing and sneaking out. Sam noticed and turned back to the other three.

"Guys, he's hiding a lot."

"We _know_ that, Sam."

"No, I mean…." She sighed. "Look, I heard him and his uncle talking. Just… cross-reference Jazmine Smith, Jackelyn Ryder, and Daniel Ryder. Hell, throw in the Fenton case from years ago, too! But do it quick, before he gets back."

Tucker nodded. "Right." He quickly started up the computer, adding in the data where it was needed. A minute later, he said, "Didn't get much, just… _dates…._"

"_What?_" Lancer gasped, moving closer. "My God… the daughters disappeared, then Smith and Ryder show up. They've been in contact with Daniel!"

"He said one sister died… Jackelyn. He also called the vic Jackie over the phone!"

"He's not stuck between three random people, he's stuck between his sisters and a family friend!"

-!))3\ )347-

Daniel breathed in deeply. "Fresh air," he gasped as he exhaled. His heartbeat was returning to a normal speed—well, for him. Now if he could just get some info….

"F—Fenton?" a voice asked from behind him.

His heart rate skyrocketed again. "_Kami,_ Baxter, don't sneak up on me!"

"Sorry, sir, force of habit," the blonde replied, smirking.

"That's right, you all liked to test out that rumor that I didn't have a heart by giving me heart attacks. Well, congrats. I _do._"

"Sorry, sir."

"What are you doing here, anyway, Dash?"

"I'm warning you."

"Oh? Of what?"

"Of her. She found out where you moved to. She's following you, Danny."

Daniel gaped. "No…."

-!))3\ )347-

"Guys," Sam said, eyes wide, "we've got to find him! If someone went after his sisters, they could be after _him_, too!"

"You're right. We need to start looking and—" Lancer was cut off by a loud cry outside.

"_There you are!_"

Everyone jumped, running to get out the door.

-!))3\ )347-

"She can't—" Daniel gasped. "How'd she find me? How'd _you_ find me?"

"Your uncle told me where you'd gone. She eavesdropped on us."

"Wh—when did he tell you?"

"Last night. We got the first plane we could."

Daniel's eyes widened. "…He…he wanted her to…."

"Wha—"

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"Just—Just Kwan. We split up to look for you, and—"

"_There you are!_"

Both men jumped, Daniel putting a hand over his heart. "Yes, Kwan," he said, seething, "here we are."

"I was looking all over for—"

"_Back away from Ryder!_" Sam screamed, her gun out and pointed at Kwan.

Daniel, who had jumped again, looked up to the sky, saying, "Just kill me now!"

Lancer grabbed Daniel, pulling him behind Valerie and Tucker. "Arrest them, Sam!"

"_What?_"

"Yes, sir." Sam moved forward, dragging out her handcuffs.

"Danny, call off the guard dog!" Dash yelled, pushing Kwan out of Sam's reach.

"Not _my_ guard dog," Danny replied.

"What? But—" Dash paused, and he and Kwan shared a look before laughing. "Bottom of the barrel again, huh, Fen-dork?"

"Shut it, Baxter. My uncle's _still_ your boss."

"…right…."

Danny sighed, turning to Lancer. "Sir, they're my friends. Please don't arrest them."

"They're… what?"

"They're friends from Madison. Please don't arrest them on their first day in Amity."

"…Sam, you can stop."

Sam looked up from where she had just handcuffed Dash, pausing in her quoting of the Miranda Rights. "Oh, okay." She left the two men and walked over to Lancer.

Dash rolled his eyes. "Great. Since we're all buddy-buddy now, can someone _uncuff_ me?"

234032

A/N: Introduction of Dash and Kwan. Now, they came in to provide more of Danny's background. Slowly. Insanely slowly. ;P Yeah, so they used to work _below_ Danny because he was in charge of their unit at Madison. So even though they're like six years older than him, they had to follow his orders. Unfortunately for Danny, that didn't mean they had to show him respect _all_ the time, thus the always-sneaking-up-behind-him.

Dash's comment on Sam being Danny's guard dog: Thrown in for humor, but my friends all say that that line was a little, uh, yeah…. ;


	3. HD 3

A/N: Now for the climax that is chapter three!

234032

"What did you mean by 'bottom of the barrel again'?" Tucker asked.

Kwan and Dash laughed again at Danny's glare. Dash was the one to answer. "In school, Dan was always labeled a dork or loser."

"Mostly because I was the youngest in my grade," Danny continued, scowl deepening. "I started school as a five-year-old in second grade, but by the time I was seven, I was in sixth. Gave everyone else the right to mock me for life. But I slowly proved myself to them. By the end of ninth, I was almost at the top of the school's social ladder.

"Then, Vlad moved me back to the States. I entered Madison High as a sophomore just before my eleventh birthday. Vlad let me stay there through the rest of high school, then we moved to Japan for my college years. Only two. I was done with school entirely by the time I turned fifteen. We came back to Madison so I could get a job under Vlad's jurisdiction. After all, who else would legally higher a _fifteen-year-old?_

"I had to work my way up from a position as 'coffee and donuts boy'. I'd been in charge of my own unit for a little under a year when Vlad transferred me out here."

The others stared in shock, gaping. Kwan and Dash chuckled again at them. "Nowhere on your records does it say 'certified genius'," Lancer pointed out.

"Because I'm not."

"…Heh?"

Danny sighed. "Yeah, that's—my parents never tested me. My teachers were the ones who moved me up. My family was actually pretty surprised."

"So, you never showed signs of super-intelligence as a kid?"

"Nope. Never did. My pre-K teacher even threw me out the second day of school because I wasn't getting anything. The next year, my kindergarten teacher sent me into the second grade class. My parents thought she'd made a mistake. I was just happy to be in the same building as my sisters again."

"So, you've been in the force for four years. You ever been in the line of fire?" Valerie asked, staring him down.

He stared back, just as harshly. "Yeah, I've been shot at. A lot. Even _before_ I joined."

"Really?" she blinked.

"Yeah. Got the scars to prove it."

"He's taken a bullet for each of us at least once," Kwan said.

"Oh, no!" Sam cried sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "We've got a hero on our hands!"

Dash and Kwan laughed again, and Danny glared. "_Shut it_."

"Dude, chill."

"Dude, don't call me dude," Danny copied.

"What kind of cases have you dealt with in Madison?" Lancer asked.

Danny blinked. "Uh, murders, suicides, car crashes, gang fights… ghost attacks."

"Gh—_what?_"

"Madison had a bad case of ghost hauntings. It wasn't unusual for them to attack. We'd be called in to break it up."

"Interesting…."

Dash snorted. " 'Curious'," he said, " 'very curious indeed'…."

"Again, _shut it!_"

"What case are you guys working on?" he asked, shaking his head.

"A…a murder."

"Oh…. Who's the vic?"

"We don't—"

"Yes, we do. Tell them, Daniel," Lancer said, giving him a hard look.

He sighed. "It's—it—she was Jackelyn Ryder."

Dash and Kwan shared a look, turning back to Danny and dragging him into a different room. They pushed him into a corner to get him to stay there. "Dan, why didn't you—?"

He glared back at them. "Because I didn't think it was important."

"…Any suspects?"

"…one…." Danny ducked his head to stare at the floor.

Dash and Kwan glanced at each other, understanding what that look meant. "Dude, I know that look. Who was it?"

"It… it was… Plasmius."

They blinked. "Your—_Your uncle killed your sister?_"

-!))3\ )347-

"What was so interesting, sir?" Sam asked Lancer.

"Ghosts," he gaped.

"…Okay, what about ghosts?"

"Ghosts are what's rumored to have killed them!"

The others shared a look. Val spoke up. "Okay, you've lost us all. Killed _who?_" 

"Jack and Maddie."

"Wait—_the Fenton case?_"

"Yes. He was there, he knows who did it. He always has. But he's never told me…."

"_What?_"

"He's—Daniel is _Danny Fenton_."

-!))3\ )347-

"Yes. That's exactly what happened. He's the one who killed her. Jazz identified it as him."

"Dan, we've met your sisters. Are you _sure_ Jazz is telling—"

"_She's telling the truth!_ If it wasn't Plasmius, who else _could_ it be?"

"Dan, calm down! What's got you so freaked out?"

"He—He killed her the same way…."

"…A—as what?"

"As… as my parents…."

"W—_What?_" They had heard the stories of Danny's parents' deaths. They had heard of how both had died at the same time.

They had heard how both bodies had been found with a hole in their stomachs.

"R—Really?"

"I was _there_, I saw the body. He _killed_ her…." His hands shook, even after he clenched them into fists.

"Dan—"

"_Stay the hell __**away**__ from me._"

Dash stopped and shared a look with Kwan, who shrugged. He backed up a step, and tried again. "_Dan_—"

He ran away.

-!))3\ )347-

"He's Danny Fenton? _For real?_"

"Yes. I should've realized sooner, but…. He's changed, a lot." Lancer was staring off into space with an almost glazed look in his eye.

"You… knew him?"

"I was the one who interrogated him back then, in my early twenties. It was my first case, and they give _me_ the job of—of talking to their only witness, young, six-year-old, _hurt_ Danny Fenton…."

"Do—Do you think the change was because of… his parents' death?"

"Yes… and no. When he was brought in that day, he was scared… but oddly coherent. When he.. when he came in the other day, he was… too quiet. He hardly spoke if I hadn't asked him something. He changed _way_ too much in just thirteen years."

"_Sir!_" Dash yelled as he and Kwan ran back in, panting for breath.

"Where's Daniel?"

"He—He ran, sir."

The others gaped. Lancer forced himself to get them moving. "The murderer's still out there. We need to find him, _now!_"

-!))3\ )347-

Danny looked around, making sure no one could see. When he didn't find anyone, he transformed quickly, eyes and hair changing to the neon green and snow white of Danny Phantom in the blink of an eye.

As usual, the minute he transformed, the memories came flooding back, drowning him. His first ghost fights, the day he moved in with his uncle, getting shot five times in one day, bullies at school….

The day his parents died….

"_Mum? Da? Where's Jazzie and Jackie?"_

"_They're at school, Danny. What are you doing home so soon?" his mum asked from the kitchen. The smell of cookie dough was drifting through the house._

"_I—I didn't feel good. The teacher told me to go home."_

"_Oh, what's wrong, sweetie?"_

_**I had a dream you would die….**_

"_My head and stomach hurt."_

_She laid a hand on his forehead before kissing it. "You've got a little fever. Let's get you to bed, okay? Da's upstairs already."_

_She led him up, tucking him into the small bed in his room. "There, is that better?"_

_He nodded, but when she went to leave, he called out, "May you stay with me?"_

_She smiled at him. "I'll be right back after I put the cookies in, alright?"_

"…_Okay."_

_She left. A minute passed, then two. __**The cookies should be in now. One more minute.**_

_The minute passed. She didn't come back. Worried that the voice in his head whispering of death was right, he climbed out of bed and into the hallway. His da found him and followed as he went downstairs slowly and silently._

_He went to the kitchen immediately, peeking around the corner. Someone had grabbed his mum and covered her mouth. His da had seen, too, and ran out to stop the person holding her. He was thrown into the wall, sliding down it, unconscious._

_He watched in shock as the events played out as they had in his dream. The person took out two knives, throwing them both at the same time. One hit his mum, the other his da. The knives exploded into green flames on contact, blasting a hole into both of them._

_He gasped, covering his mouth as quick as he could. It was too late. The killer had heard him. Terrified, he couldn't move as the killer approached. Now, he could see the part of his face not covered by the black scarf he wore. He had red eyes, a scar going straight through one. That's all he could see before a third and fourth knife appeared in each of his hands. Finding himself suddenly on the ground, Danny moved back, crawling like a crab._

_He felt the two knives cut down from his shoulders, only deeply cutting there. By the time the man had finished, the knives had come to a point at his stomach. A trickle of blood flowed down as his eyes glazed over. He saw the killer nod at his work before bending over and picking him up. He smelled his parents' blood, and his own, on the man's hands. He felt the killer walking outside while carrying him. He heard a voice whisper to him._

"_Do not worry. Your nightmare will be over soon."_

_He calmed down, trusting the voice. After all, it was the same voice that warned him this would happen._

Phantom hugged himself, unconsciously tracing the scars left by those knives. He knew it was a good thing he had gotten cut by them. They gave him his ghost-mode, where he could hide his memories.

But with his ghost-mode came enemies. And some allies.

"Come out, Clockwork," he said with a slight smirk, "I know you're there."

"Hello, Daniel," the voice came again. A ghost appeared in front of him, wearing a purple hooded cloak and several clocks. He held a staff in his hand. "I am sorry for what happened to your sister."

"Was it… Clockwork, was it her time?"

"Yes, Daniel, I am sorry, but it was."

"Who—Who—w—was it Plasmius?"

Clockwork was silent.

"C—Clockwork?"

"I cannot say, Daniel, and you know that."

"R—Right. Thanks anyway, Clockwork."

He began to disappear, whispering as he did, "You are welcome, Daniel…."

The minute he was gone, Plasmius made his attack. Danny was thrown forward, getting a mouthful of sidewalk.

"_How __**dare**__ you accuse __**ME!**_" he screamed, readying another attack.

Danny pushed himself up, dodging and blasting him back. "Jazz identified _you_ as being there, Vlad! Why would she lie?"

"_To cover for someone else!_"

"Oh, yeah? _Who?_"

"How should _I_ know? _I wasn't there!_"

Danny screamed, letting loose his most powerful attack, the ghostly wail. Plasmius was blown back, recovering and flying away as fast as he could.

Danny went to follow, but was held back by something. "_LET ME __**GO!**_"

"No, Daniel, I cannot," the voice replied.

"_Clockwork?_ You're letting him get away! _You're letting __**Jack's killer**__ get __**AWAY!**_"

"No, I am not."

"So someone else will grab him? Good. _He __**deserves**__ it!_"

"No. He told you the truth, Daniel. He was not there."

"_THEN TELL ME WHO __**KILLED HER!**_"

"I did."

Danny stopped struggling. "Wh—_What?_"

"I did."

"B—But… _why?_"

"It was her time, Daniel. If I did not, someone else would have."

"But—"

"Just like with your parents, Daniel. If I had not killed them, the Reaper would have joyed in doing so viciously. Besides, it gave me the chance to give you your escape."

"No…no, it can't have been…."

"It is true. When have I ever lied to you, Daniel?"

"No… not Jack… _**NO!**_"

Danny sent his ghostly aura out like a shockwave, blasting Clockwork away. Clockwork watched as he took off, flying sporadically through the sky in his desperate attempt to leave as quickly as he could.

"You will see soon, Daniel."

-!))3\ )347-

An hour later, Danny could be found on the rooftop of one of the highest apartment buildings in Amity Park. A building that, when under the ownership of its previous occupants, was _definitely_ tallest due to their additions.

A building still known as FentonWorks.

His shoulders shook as he tried to make sense of what he had just heard. Instead of it being Vlad who killed his sister, it was his most trusted friend.

And not just _any_ friend, either. Clockwork was the bloody Master of Time! He had told Danny of his never-ending quest to stop the one known as the Reaper from brutally massacring those whose death-time had come.

His family had been thrown into the middle of it. It seemed that, because of his parents' anti-ghost work, the Fentons were number one on Reaper's hit list. And since Reaper was constantly being reincarnated, it was near impossible to find him… or her.

Danny had laid down, the last of his sobs shaking his whole body. That's when he heard the footsteps. He was readying to turn and attack when a calm, quiet voice spoke.

"Sh, it's okay, Danny. It's just me."

"Jazz?" he asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yes."

He turned quickly, pulling her down into a hug. "Jazz, it was Clockwork! He's the one who killed her!"

She patted his back gently. "I know, Danny, I know."

"He killed her, just like he killed Mum and Da!"

"I told you he was no good."

"You've always said that, but he's never…."

"Yes, he has, Danny! Didn't I _tell_ you this would happen? I _told_ you it was Clockwork!"

His sniffling paused as he looked up at her. "You—you never said—"

"_Yes, I did_," she replied, holding his head still and staring into his eyes. Hers flashed maroon as his glazed over.

"…yes, you did….

"Good, now _sleep_."

The spell broke as he was lost to the conscious world. His mind replayed both the murder and the crime scene. He whimpered in his sleep.

Jazz smirked down at him, still speaking in that quiet, calming voice. "Don't worry," she whispered, pulling something out of her pocket, "your nightmare will be over soon."

A dagger flashed into being in her hand as a rope appeared in the other.

234032

A/N: Alright, so I had to rework Danny's school history about ten times before I finally got it right. -.-U I can make good plots, I can throw humor into anything, but I can't figure out my own timeline…. Pathetic.

Also, Danny's school history had to be reworked for the simple reason that, due to a plot twist I didn't see coming until the second book, it would've screwed up the continuum. A lot.

Aaaaaand, Jazz. Jazz is a _very_ important character in this series. First off, not only is she evil through the first few books, but there's also some serious Danny-angst because of her in the fourth, though, admittedly, only for one and a half chapters. ; Spoiler! ;P


	4. HD 4

A/N: And now chapter four, with a serious cliffy!

234032

The evening shift was the one to have found the cloth, hair, and note left behind. The Amity Park Police Department (plus two tag-alongs) was quick to arrive. After all, it wasn't everyday one of them was kidnapped for no ransom.

The note simply said that they had three days to find Danny before they killed him. There were no clues, no codes that they could see to hint at where Danny had bee hidden.

"Who could have taken him?" Valerie asked.

"Whoever it was didn't care if they were messy," Dash called back. "I've got a blood trail over here!"

The others ran over, Sam getting a Q-tip full of the blood and securing it inside a bag. "I'll go have them run this," she said, going back inside the building.

"Baxter, follow the trail to see where it leads," Lancer commanded.

"Yes, sir."

"Sir… will we find him in time?" Tucker asked cautiously.

"I sure hope so…."

-!))3\ )347-

His head hurt. That was the first thing Danny noticed when he woke up. It throbbed as he made his second brilliant observation. His eyes were practically glued shut. When he finally did blink them open, he squinted around at the room he was in.

It was simple, having just the small cot he was on and a mirror. The door was nearly impossible to find, and would be if not for the minute, almost non-existent peek hole. Danny jumped when an eye peered in at him.

"Ah, you're awake," that calm whisper came to him. Jazz pushed open the door and walked in, closing it tightly behind her.

"What did you do to me?" he croaked.

"A simple spell to keep you in place. Though the ropes helped, too."

"Wh—Why?"

"Why do you _think?_ You and Clockwork, always in my way!"

"C—Clockwork…?"

She sneered. "Yes, _Clockwork._ Hn, and he calls you his 'protégé'. You don't even know who I _am_, do you?"

"Y—You're my sister, though you're not acting like her!"

"Oh, I _am_ your sister, but there's something you _don't_ know about me. While Mom and Dad were _fawning_ over you for all those years, _I _was planning. The perfect little boy. That's what everyone called you. I was 'the perfect little boy's sister'. Do you _know_ how _annoying_ that is?"

"W—"

"No, of _course_ you don't. You were the _perfect_ one. The only thing that annoyed you was getting sick 'cause then you couldn't go to _school!_"

"Jazz, what's—"

"There you go again! Just _assuming_ you know who I am! All because you know _everything!_"

"If you're not Jazz, who are you?"

"Who do you _think_, perfect little boy? Or have your memories not come back yet?"

"_What?_"

"Clockwork hid all your memories from you. He said he'd give them back 'when the time is right'. Well, it better be right in two days, or you're _dead_."

"Jazz, why would—"

She screamed. "Why do you call me that? Don't you get it yet? I'm not Jazz! I'm Joaquima! I'm the _Reaper!_"

Danny's eyes widened. "You're… _what?_"

"The Reaper, you dolt! God, you'd think my own brother would know _that!_"

"If you're the Reaper, how am _I_ your brother? You're over 8,000 years old!"

"Oh, ha, ha, _ha!_ Shows how much _you_ know! I'm 9,010! And you're my brother, Demogorgon. Don't try to fool your own sister! Besides, I'd recognize _your_ Reaping hide _anywhere!_"

"What? But you just said _you're_ the Reaper!"

"Maybe you _aren't_ my brother, you're too _stupid_ to be him! Why do you think the Reaper can be reincarnated as a boy or girl, huh? And I guess dear old Clocky didn't tell you about the fact that we're always born into girls whose names start with J's and boys whose start with D's."

"Wait, so you two are reincarnated _after_ they've been born?"

"Of course! We even _choose_ who the lucky child is!"

"…Why my sister?"

"Because she was always a _very_ competitive and obstinate girl. She was the perfect host for me."

"Why… why me?"

"Because, dear boy, you—my brother—wanted to be as close to me as possible. We had a fight in a past life, and neither of us forgave the other. I want my revenge on him, and I'll get it through _you!_"

"How?" Danny said stubbornly. "He'll just be reborn into someone else!"

"There's a way to _completely_ kill a Reaper, you know."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Oh, you know it. You just need to _remember_."

-!))3\ )347-

"Sir, we've got the results on the blood," Sam declared.

"And?"

"It's Danny's…."

"So, dead end?"

"Not quite. Seems his DNA is twice as thick as a normal person's. Some of the blood had a green tint. Sir, something's _genetically_ off about him."

"I see…." Lancer turned swiftly to Dash. "Where did the trail lead?"

"Sir, it didn't," Dash replied. "It disappeared in a hallway on the top floor."

"And the cloth?"

"From his shirt, sir," Valerie stated. "That was easy enough."

"The hair, dare I ask?"

"Only one strand had DNA on it. Also Danny's weird double-double helix," Tucker said, showing the picture of it on his PDA to Lancer.

"It—Doesn't it seem it would be harder to repair than normal DNA?"

"Or easier. Because of the extra parts, the DNA caused extra antibodies and such to enter into his blood stream. He'd probably be immune to the common cold after having it once."

"Tucker, how would something like this happen?"

"I don't know, sir. His parents were scientists, maybe it was an experiment gone wrong."

"They were ectoplasm enthusiasts." At their blank looks, Lancer continued. "They studied ghosts."

"That would account for the green tint in his blood. _Ectoplasm_."

Sam went on as Dash and Kwan left, unnoticed. "But, how could he be a ghost? He's alive! We even felt his pulse back when he hit his head!"

"We'll just have to ask him that, when we find him."

-!))3\ )347-

"Kwan, they're getting too close to the truth!" Dash exclaimed.

"Well, what are _we _supposed to do about it? We can't stop them from finding out on their own."

"I don't know! But he trusted _us_ to keep everyone else in the dark!"

"Yeah, but there's no real way we can stop this."

"We need to find _some_ way before he dies!"

"What if… what if telling them helps them find him?"

"…Then we just say a ghost has him."

-!))3\ )347-

"So, do you remember anything yet?" Joaquima asked. Danny had quickly learned to call her by her Reaper name instead of his sister's.

"What do _you_ think?" he spat.

"It would seem not. Pity. I guess I can basically forget any hope I had that you'd remember before I kill you tomorrow."

"Then don't kill me. Simple enough, _ne?_"

"Hn. Nice try. No matter what happens, you're dead tomorrow." She left again, and Danny was left there to try to plan.

Good thing he had some help.

"Okay, Clockwork, she's gone," he called out.

Clockwork rematerialized next to him, sighing. "I am sorry, Daniel. I cannot force your memories to return."

"That's okay. Can you get a message to someone, though?"

-!))3\ )347-

"Sir, we—we think we know who—_what_—kidnapped Danny," Dash stated.

Lancer blinked. "Really? Who?"

"Well, we know it had to have been a ghost for the trail to just… _disappear_ like that."

"Okay, which ghost?"

"The Reaper," a new voice whispered. Lancer and the others jumped, turning to face Clockwork.

"The… _who?_" Val asked, confused.

"The Reaper. It is a ghost that, like myself, knows when a person's death time is coming. The Reaper's favorite pastime is viciously killing those whose death-time is soon."

"I—Is Danny's death-time—?"

"No, but the Reaper is hoping to make it be tomorrow."

"So, we still need to find him."

"Yes, you do."

"So, where is he?"

"Guys!" Dash said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to him. He was smiling broadly, looking down at a newspaper article. "I—I think I know where he is!"

234032

A/N: Hehehe, so, this chapter brings Clockwork back as a good guy. Yes, he may have killed Danny's parents, but all for good reason.

Now, this also marks the point at which, while writing, I finally figured out the title for this book. Joy for me! Anywayz, Jazz and Danny are the two Reapers, Joaquima and Demogorgon. Yes, those are real names, I checked. Now, there's also the fact that, while Jazz completely blanks out every time Jo takes over, Danny and Dem can actually _communicate_. That is something totally unheard of in a Reaper's reincarnation, thus Danny's line in book five about Jo wanting to kill him only because he happened to be Demo's host. (Spoiler!)

A little history on Dem and Jo: Jo is older (9,010) and Dem is 9,008. This story is taking place in 2006, making their birthdays be back in BC 7000. Yeah, that's pretty durn old. Anywayz, Demo is not exactly up-to-date on stuff like technology and fashion, but Jo is. Then again, Dem's also very very shy whereas Jo's outgoing. Bad, psychopathic outgoing. Funny side note: Demo's name is from a Greek mythical god of the underworld, maybe even another name for Satan. Jo's name means "established by God". Just kinda funny that the good guy has an evil name and vice versa.


	5. HD 5

A/N: Last chapter!

234032

"It's almost midnight, Demogorgon. Almost time for your death. And you _still_ can't remember, can you?"

Danny's glare was all the answer Joaquima needed. She laughed.

"Face it, Demogorgon, your little friends will _never_ find you in time!"

"You underestimate them, Joaqui," Danny replied quietly, his eyes glaring a vicious orange.

Joaquima blinked. Then, she laughed. "Oh, just in time as always, Demogor! Welcome back, little brother."

"Just like always, huh? You're gloating too much."

Danny was getting nervous. He wasn't speaking, so how…?

_**I'm sorry, Danny,**_ a shy voice said in his mind. _**All I want is to speak to and stop my sister. You can have your body back then, okay?**_

…_O—Okay._

"Oh, dear brother, I think you forget. _You_ were the one to gloat!"

"Oh, yes, and _you_ were the one who did the witty banter then, right?" he said sarcastically, rolling the orange eyes.

Joaquima huffed. "You've sealed your death, brother, and, unlike Clocky, _I_ won't go easy on you!"

She ran at him, the dagger reappearing in her hand. He dodged out of the way, a scythe materializing before him. On instinct, he grabbed it, spinning around to face Joaquima, whose dagger had grown into a rapier. She rushed at him, swinging and stabbing. He parried two of the attacks, dodging around most. She shrieked, anger making her attack faster. He continued to fend her off, spinning sideways to get out of the way. But one stab hit him in the shoulder. He gasped as blood welled up around the sword. Joaquima smirked.

"You recognize this blade, yes?" she hissed. "The same metal that slew mother. Pure, stainless _steel_, a Reaper's worst nightmare, their own personal death trap." She leaned in closer, pushing the sword further into his skin, whispering, "_I'm going to kill you slowly, brother, like I should've last time!_"

Coughing up some blood, he glared back up at her, growling, "_Just __**try**__ it._"

He pulled the rapier out, hissing as it cut into his hands. He threw her back with his scythe, knowing it was steel, as well. She snarled at him.

"Maybe you'd have rather'd I _didn't_ remember, huh?" he smirked.

"_Shut up!_" she spat.

"_Make_ me, Reaper girl."

She screeched and stabbed forward again. He blocked it with his scythe, spinning it around to take a swing himself. He caught her on the arm, and she squealed once more.

"How _dare_ you!" she yelled, lashing out at him.

"Easily," he replied, dancing away from the attack. "Not so simple to kill, am I?"

"Simple or not, you aren't leaving here alive!" The rapier slashed forward again, catching his other shoulder. He cried out, falling back and landing harshly on the ground. His head hit the floor and his vision blurred as she approached.

-!))3\ )347-

"Are you _sure_ they'll be here?" Lancer asked Dash. After all, the time was almost up.

"Positive, sir. The Reaper works best in dark, secluded, abandoned, forgotten places. _No one_ ever goes into FentonWorks' basement lab anymore. It's like Reaper _heaven_."

"…If you're sure…."

"I am, sir."

"…Alright everyone, let's go!"

-!))3\ )347-

"Clockwork!" he heard her snarl. "Get out of my way!" Her eyes were blaring that maroon color Danny had gotten used to the past three days.

"I will not, Joaquima," Clockwork replied, a steel staff bursting into being before him. He grabbed it and fought her back, pushing her further from Danny.

He tried to pull himself up off the ground, but found that the two stabs had drained most, if not all, of his energy. He was getting nervous. No matter _what _happened in Clockwork and Joaquima's fight, she'd come back and kill him. He was a sitting duck here.

_**We've got to leave, and quick.**_

_How?_ Danny asked, trusting this voice for some odd reason.

_**How should I know? This is the first time in Reaper history that we didn't just become one person. I don't know how to get out without forcing your half of our mind…s… out of your-our?- head!**_

_Well, __that__ sounds pleasant._

_**Which is why we aren't doing that. I've got an idea, you just work on getting up.**_ The new entity disappeared, seeming to creep back into the shadows of his mind.

Danny tried to pull himself up again, this time managing to sit up. He gasped as the cuts in his shoulders pulled and began to bleed again. He leaned back down, trying to think of a way to escape before Clockwork couldn't hold her anymore. He could no longer hear Demogorgon, not knowing if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He moaned as his head hit the ground.

"_Danny?"_ a voice called out.

He jumped, crying out as his wounds pulled again. He curled in on himself, the pain immense.

"_Danny? Is that you?"_

"D—Dash?" he panted, trying to sit up. _Kami!_ he thought. _Even speaking hurts!_ His head pounded as he forced himself up. He tilted his head, attempting to find where the voice had come from. "Dash!" he called out, louder now.

"_**Danny!**__ Guys, I found him! He's down here!"_ A minute later, Dash led Lancer and the others downstairs. They gasped when they saw him, lying there in a small puddle of blood. The remnants of the short fight were everywhere. Sam and Val helped Danny stand up.

Drained, he managed to grunt out, "In the other room…."

"Ah, got it," Lancer said quickly. "Tucker, you and I will get him out of here. Sam, Val, Dash, Kwan, you four get whoever-whatever- is in the next room."

"Yes, sir." The four headed out as soon as Tuck and Lancer took Sam and Val's places holding Danny up. The teen was slumped, almost trying to close in on himself again.

Lancer glanced at him. "You alright, Fenton?" he asked, truly concerned.

"She's got a rapier," he replied, grumbling a bit at the pain of moving. "The wounds'll take time to heal." 

Lancer and Tucker exchanged a wide-eyed look. "She… she _stabbed_ you?"

"Twice."

"…_where?_"

"In my…" Danny looked down, gaping when he didn't see the stab wounds, the holes in his shirt bloody for no apparent reason. "…shoulders…."

"It… it doesn't _look_ like she did."

"But…." Danny stared down at the two spots, in deep thought.

"Sir," Sam called as they ran back up, "they got away. Both of them disappeared."

_**Chikoshu. Go se. So ein Mist. Kuso. Vloek. Fluch. Maledizione. Maldición. Merde. Scheisse. Merda. Mierda. Bumsen. Foda.**_ Demogorgon's voice in Danny's head cursed.

_You said it._

"Alright, get an APB out to watch out for them," Lancer commanded.

"Yessir," Tucker said, letting Sam take his spot by Danny as he ran off to his gadgetry.

Danny sighed as he was shuffled out, still trying to figure out what had happened.

Sam looked down at the teen—_adult_, her view of him having changed drastically after she saw the two ghosts fighting. According to Lancer, he'd been around that kind of thing since he was little. To last three days with such an angry, aggressive, all-powerful being with _no visible injuries?_ Unheard of. Remarkable. _Incredible._

But she _knew_ he was still hiding something, and she wouldn't stop until she found out what.

-!))3\ )347-

_Y'know, for such a shy guy, you can really curse,_ Danny thought wryly the next day.

_**It comes with the territory,**_ Demogorgon replied quickly, seeming to blush inside their head.

…

_**Try traveling around the world. You seem to pick up the worst in people.**_

_I'm guessing a couple failed attempts at Reapings helped that along some, too?_

_**Uh, yeah. Definitely.**_

Danny chuckled at that.

_**By the way, I'm sorry they didn't believe you.**_

_For the last time, I'm not mad you didn't let me bleed to death, as __amazing__ as that sounds._

…_**One of them is getting suspicious.**_

_Yeah, I know. She knows I'm hiding something._

_**You shouldn't be so afraid to tell her. She won't think you're a **__**henjin**__** like you seem to think she will.**_

_I just, I'm nervous about telling anyone. I know the last few times I told didn't end up all that great._

_**She's different than them, Danny. You don't have to worry about her. And you should stop making her worry about **__**you**___

_I highly doubt she's worried about me._

_**Stern look.**_

…_Fine, I'll tell her. __After__ I sort out the mess with __her._

_**Right, this …girl. She's the reason you moved, right?**_

_Yeah. And she knows where I am now._

_**So we need to find a way to keep her away.**_

_Basically. And with __her,__ that's impossible._

_**Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.**_

_Yeah? Where'd you hear that, a fortune cookie?_

_**Don't diss the cookie. No, I heard it from a very wise man.**_

…_again, very corny. What wise man?_

_**You can't guess?**_

…_Clockwork?_

_**Aw, how'd you know?**_

_It's pretty obvious. Anyone else would've said "Nothing's"._

_**True. But there's another problem, too.**_

_Oh? What's that?_

_**Vlad.**_

…_Oh…right…. He's going to __kill__ me…._

_**He won't. Give him some credit, Dan.**_

_He's gonna kill me…._

_**Dan, you're the only thing he has left to remind him of your mom.**_

…_yeah, that's still creepy._

_**I agree. But your mom is the reason he won't kill you, Dan. Trust him some.**_

_Eh…._

_**Also, Joaqui's going to be after you now.**_

_I know that. This town is going to get __so__ screwed up while we're here._

_**Yeah, but we're here to **__**keep**__** it from getting screwed up.**_

…_I hope we can handle this…._

234032

A/N: Okay! That's the ending of Hidden Death! Now, the main song from this book was Death Trend Setta by Crossfade. strongly suggests reading the lyrics

You can find pictures of Joaquima and Demogorgon here:

www . deviantart . com / deviation / 55903539 /

www . deviantart . com / deviation / 55903826 /

So, book one is now finished! Heh, most of Demo and Danny's mindchats were written as I was typing this up, not planned before hand. And, yes, Demo knows how to curse fluently in more than twenty languages. As he said, it comes from finding the worst of people as he was being reincarnated around the world. Likewise, Danny now knows some of different languages thanks to Dem.

"She" is revealed in the next book, Fading. "She" was, like Dash and Kwan, on Danny's squad at Madison. I'll list the whole squad after she's revealed.

SNEAK PEEKS TO BOOK TWO: FADING!

"_Guys," Danny said, stopping and turning to face them, "unless something happens that makes me beg you guys to help me out, you've gotta go."_

4)!\9

_Danny's eyes widened, and he turned to the others, mouthing "Help me!"_

4)!\9

"_I'd only be doing __**you**__ a favor if I don't drag you back with me," she snarled. "I'm still watching you, and the minute you slip up, I'll tell everyone who you __**really**__ are!"_

4)!\9

"_Uh, nothing. Never mind. So, what do we have to go on?"_

"_The knife, that's it. You wanna take it down?"_

"_Uh… sure." Danny grabbed a glove and pulled it on before bending to pick up the knife. He hissed when he felt the steel through the glove, but it quickly turned to a yelp as the memory of the last time he saw that blade flashed through his head._

_**You recognize this blade, yes? …I'm going to kill you slowly….**_

4)!\9

_She switched the knife into his other hand, repeating the process on his opposite wrist._

_When the task was done, she left the knife in his hand, knowing that his grip was firm, even in sleep. She pulled off first one glove, then the other, turning them inside-out and placing them in her purse. She took one last look at him, smirking as blood continued to drip from the fresh cuts._

"_Sleep tight, Danny…."_

4)!\9

"_Sir, Danny knows whose knives those are."_

"_Really? So we again have a situation where he's caught in the middle of a case?"  
_

"_Yes, but this time, the suspect isn't going to take her—or his—time in killing him."_

4)!\9

"_I had some problems when I first moved in with my uncle, okay?!"_

_Sam stared down at him, taking in how he had suddenly tensed up and turned away from her. "But, you and Vlad seem to—"_

"_**Vlad's **__**not**__** my uncle!**__"_

4)!\9

Notice how what Jo said in this chapter comes back to haunt Danny in book two. ;P


	6. Fading 1

A/N: As of this point, I have book five, chapter six written.

F4D!N9: With Danny's past now somewhat known, Lancer's unit has to deal with his insane fangirl. But when something weird begins to happen to Danny, they start to suspect that this girl is the reason why he transferred in the first place. Book Two R34P3R series. (Five Chapters)

234032

"Dude, seriously, do we _have_ to leave?" Dash begged. "Wisconsin's _boring_ without you there!"

"Yeah," Kwan continued, "and Paulina's been hitting on both of us without you to gobble up her attention. And, while we like her noticing us, you were right about her getting worked up almost to the point of obsession!"

"Guys," Danny said, stopping and turning to face them, "unless something happens that makes me beg you guys to help me out, you've gotta go. Are you seriously going to leave Star and Paulina in charge up there?"

The two shared a glance. "Yes."

Danny sighed. "I don't think you understand—"

"_Dash! Kwan! I didn't know you two were here!_" a voice cried out behind Danny. He tensed.

"How did Star—?" he hissed.

"We don't know!"

A blonde woman ran up to them, hugging the two older men. "Ohmigosh! Hi! Oh, why were you talking to a little kid?"

"A…_what?!_" Danny yelled, clenching his hands into fists.

The woman waved him quiet. "Sorry, kid, let the adults talk."

"I'm _nineteen_, thank you!"

"Oh, how _sweeeet_. Shut up."

"Uh, Star, that's—" Kwan tried.

"Don't care. But ohmigosh! When did you two get here?"

"A few days ago. We were about to leave—"

"Oh, no! You two _have_ to stay here!"

"Star—"

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer! C'mon!"

"_Excuse me!_" Danny yelled.

Star groaned and turned around, hands on hips. "What?" She opened her eyes and gasped. "Ohmigosh, _Danny!_" She ran up, hugged him, and continued. "Ohmigosh, I can't believe you're here! Ohmigosh, I needa tell Paulina! _OHMIGOSH, PAULINA, I FOUND DANNY!_"

Danny's eyes widened, and he turned to the others, mouthing, "Help me!"

4)!\9

After having narrowly escaped death-by-Paulina, Danny panted in the doorway of the APPD. He leaned into the door, finally catching his breath as Sam and Valerie walked by. When they saw him, their eyes widened, and they walked over.

"Danny?" Sam asked. "You okay?"

"I'm… fine, just… tired, 's all," he answered, panting.

"Are you sure? 'Cause you _really_ don't look good!"

"No, I told you, I'm—"

_**Incoming! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six—**_

"—Actually, yeah, not feeling good, can you help me find Lancer?"

—_**three, two—**_

"Sure, c'mon." They led him upstairs.

_**Nice timing.**_

_Nice warning. Little quicker next time?_

_**Sorry. She's gone, though.**_

_Thanks._

"Yes, Fenton?" Lancer asked when he saw the teen walk in.

"Uh, sir? C—Could I ask you something?"

"Yes. What did you want to ask?"

"Um, if someone comes in looking for me, could you tell them I moved back to Madison?"

_**Niiice. She won't suspect anything **__**then.**_

_Shut it_.

"Um, okay. May I ask _why?_"

_**No.**_

"Uh, I'd rather not say…."

Lancer frowned, almost glaring at him. Danny winced mentally. "I see. Alright, I'll say you've… moved, then."

"Thankie, sir!" he said quickly. He used the back door to escape the police department, going to his home.

He lived in a small hotel just outside the park. It was the last thing his uncle had bought for him, well, before he'd falsely accused him last week.

Danny sighed, hitting his head against a wall.

_**Dan, it's my sister's fault, not yours. Don't worry, he'll forgive you!**_

_Just like he'll stop loving Mom._

_**Which is **__**why**__** he'll forgive you!**_

_He won't, end of story._

The phone rang, scaring him out of his talk with Demogorgon. He walked over, checking the caller ID to make sure it wasn't Paulina. It wasn't her. Danny knew she'd _never_ stoop so low as to use a _payphone_ to call _anyone_.

He answered, muttering a cautious, "Hello?"

"…Daniel?" Vlad's voice asked.

"Yes, Uncle Vladdie?" he teased.

"Daniel, I'm… I'm sorry."

"I should be the one saying that. Joa—Jazz lied to me, and I—I just _believed_ her. I'm normally better at reading than _that_."

_**You couldn't see her. She had **__**planned**__** that.**_

"It's fine, Daniel. I shouldn't have gotten so angry."

"You had every right."

"I—I heard…. Danny, I heard that you had been kidnapped by the killer. Is that… is that true?"

"…Yes, it is."

"Danny, I got so worried! You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, but… Vlad, I need to tell you what happened…."

4)!\9

An hour of trying to explain later, and Vlad was on his way to Danny's room. He arrived in just a few minutes. Danny gave him a dry look, saying, "You used the payphone right outside, didn't you?"

Vlad's sheepish look was the only answer he needed. He rolled his eyes and motioned for him to come in.

"So, let me get this straight," Vlad said the minute both were sitting down, "there are actually _two_ Reapers instead of one, and one of them is _Jazz?_"

_**Joaquima**_, Demogorgon said cheekily.

"Joaquima," Danny repeated, trying not to laugh.

"Right, and the other is… _you?_"

Demogorgon rolled his eyes. _**No, it's the other teenaged half-ghost whose name is Danny Fenton/Phantom. Duh.**_

Now it was nearly impossible to not laugh. "D—Demog—gorgon, yes."

Vlad raised an eyebrow at Danny's reddening face. "How do I know I'm not speaking to him?"

_**Slow learner.**_

"Do my eyes _look_ orange to you?"

"Uh… no."

"Then it's me."

"Simple enough, then. And to tell Joakey from Jazz?"

"Jo's are maroon, Jazz's blue-green."

"Right. So what really happened last week…?"

"Joaquima kidnapped me to try to kill me."

"Oh. And that won't happen again?"

…_That's a good question…._

_**Probably not.**_

Danny shrugged. "Probably not. We're not sure."

"You're not…. _You can __**speak**__ to each other?!?_"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"That's… that's unheard of…!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"Too true."

4)!\9

"So, _did_ someone come in looking for me yesterday?" Danny asked Lancer as he sat down. He was only slightly surprised at getting called in.

"Yes, but she didn't seem to believe me. Is there something _else_ you're not telling us, Fenton?" Lancer gave him a stern look.

He squirmed a bit. "Uh, no, sir, why?"

_**Maybe because you're fidgeting.**_

Danny sat as still as possible.

"Because you've been acting oddly."

_**Trust me, it gets odder.**_

"Shut it," Danny mumbled, staring cross-eyed at his forehead.

"Excuse me, Mr. Fenton?"

"Uh, no—nothing. I just… I'm a bit nervous."

"Wouldn't have anything to do with your _fangirl_, right?" Sam asked as she walked in. Someone was standing behind her.

"Fangirl?" Danny questioned, a confused look on his face.

"Is that Danny? It sounds like Danny! Oh em gee, _DANNY!_" another voice squealed in a Hispanic accent as a girl ran into the room. She was a few years older than Danny, yet a good three inches shorter. She attacked him with a hug, nearly suffocating him.

"P—Pauli—_ina_, I c—can—n't bre—_athe!_" Danny gasped, pulling away.

Paulina pouted. "Danny, your uncle wouldn't tell me where you'd gone! I had to wait until _Dash_ asked!"

"Paulina, who's running the station?"

"Oh, that new guy. Mickey, I think?"

"Mikey?"

"Yeah, him!"

"Paulina, he doesn't know _how_ to run it!"

Sam and Lancer followed the conversation like a tennis match, looking back and forth between the two.

"Yes, he does! Your uncle showed him!"

"…Did he now…. When?"

"A couple days ago, I think."

"Lovely…."

"Which means I can stay here with _you!_"

"Sir, Sam, Danny," Val called, poking her head in the door, "we got another one."

The three turned to go out the door, but Lancer and Sam walked right past Danny as he tripped and fell. He glared up at Paulina, who pulled her foot back towards her.

"Just as _clumsy_ as always, huh, _Danny-boy?_" she asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"Do us all a favor and go back to Madison, _Paulina,_" Danny spat back.

Paulina hissed at him, pulling him up by the collar of his shirt. He made a gagging noise, lifting his hands to his collar to try to pull free. Paulina lifted him up above her own head so his feet were off the floor.

"I'd only be doing _you_ a favor if I don't drag you back with me," she snarled. "I'm still watching you, and the minute you slip up, I'll tell everyone who you _really_ are!"

"Back to blackmail, huh? The whole rape thing not workin' out for ya?"

"_**Shut up!**_ I could kill you right now, if I wanted! I could rid the world of you and _your kind_, and you _know _I could!"

"But what would you accomplish from that, huh? I wouldn't be around for you to torture, so you'd go off to someone else. That's how you work, right? Meet 'em, seduce 'em, get what you want from 'em, and _kill 'em_."

Paulina shoved him up against a cabinet in the office. Danny gasped for air as a perfectly manicured hand closed around his neck. "No one will believe you over me, and you _know_ it. You've had the worst record _possible_ since you were _born._ The only thing _anyone_ is going to trust you about is book facts! Isn't that right, _genius?_"

"And the only thing anyone wants from you is one night, 'cause that's how long it'll take for them to realize you're a sadistic bi—"

Paulina's lips crashed down on his, silencing him. He widened his eyes, trying and failing to scream. He kicked at her, and she screeched as she was pushed away. He fell to the floor, gasping in air.

"Stay _away_ from me," he hissed when she stood again. He backed up into the cabinet as she walked up to him.

She bent down next to him, whispering into his ear, "I'm not letting you out of my sight again, _**Phantom.**_"

"Danny?" Sam called as she walked back in. Paulina was suddenly on the other side of the room, checking her nails. Sam blinked when she saw Danny on the floor. "You coming?"

Danny looked up at her, trying to get his heart rate back to normal. "Uh," he glanced back at Paulina, jumping slightly at her predatory smirk, "y—yeah, l—lesgo."

He ran out quickly with Sam as Paulina chuckled to herself. "Just as easy as always."

234032

A/N: Yeah, darker fic. So, yes, Paulina is the "she" mentioned earlier. Danny's whole squad was Dash, Kwan, Star, Paulina, and new-arrival Mikey who had just come in to the station. In other words, it was Danny in charge of most of CH's populars. Lucky him. ;P

Yeah, Paulina's actually _smart_ in this one. Though she's still just as self-centered as always. And a lot more vicious. **shudder**

Danny and Vlad's conversation after Vlad came over was basically completely ad lib for me, since I had gotten major writer's bloc on that scene. I ended up skipping it and writing from Danny's talk with Lancer on, then coming back to write the previous scene in later.


	7. F 2

A/N: And, next chapter!

234032

"So, what happened?" Danny asked upon arriving at the scene with Sam. Dash and Kwan were there, as well.

"Looks like attempted suicide, but there's more than one set of prints on the knife," Tuck replied.

"The knife itself?"

"Stainless steel."

Danny twitched. _Dammit._

_**Just don't touch it.**_

_Easier thought than done._

"Dan?" Kwan was asking.

"Who was it?"

" 'Nother Jane Doe. Not another sister, I hope?"

"Ha ha, that's funny."

_**It kinda is when you think about it.**_

_Mental glare._

…_**Shutting up now.**_

"Hey, Dan? Does that knife look familiar to you?" Dash asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Danny said, looking up. Dash pointed down at the knife, and Danny followed his finger to the piece of steel. With a shudder, he realized that he _did_ recognize the blade. "Yeah, it does…." He turned on Tucker. "You said it was a _Jane_ Doe?"

"Yeah."

"What could Doe have done to tick her off…?"

"Who?"

Danny shook his head. "Uh, nothing. Never mind. So, what do we have to go on?"

"The knife, that's it. You wanna take it down?"

"Uh…. Sure." Danny grabbed a glove and pulled it on before bending to pick up the knife. He hissed when he felt the steel through the glove, but it quickly turned to a yelp as the memory of the last time he saw that blade flashed through his head.

_You recognize this blade, yes? …I'm going to kill you slowly…._

He came out of the trance as the knife hit the ground. He cringed, backing away from the metal.

Sam was the first to notice. She turned to him, calling out, "Danny? What's wrong?"

Dash and Kwan noticed then, looking up and running over to help their friend.

"I—It's hers…," Danny mumbled.

"Whose?"

Danny's eyes rolled back, and he fell forward only to be caught by Dash and Kwan. Sam, worried, called Lancer, Val, and Tucker over to check on him.

"He fainted," Dash said as he checked Danny's pulse. "Other than that, he's fine."

"Get him down to the hospital and notify his uncle," Lancer commanded.

Dash and Kwan nodded, not wanting to know how Danny would react from calling in his still-angry guardian. With any luck, Vlad _wouldn't_ try to kill Danny in the hospital.

…They were going to need a _lot_ of luck.

4)!\9

Luckily, the group found out that Vlad and Danny had forgiven each other, though Sam still felt both men were hiding something. She had carefully snuck a recorder into Danny's room, but until he woke up, it was useless. After all, it wasn't like Vlad would talk to his nephew while he was unconscious.

Or would he…?

Sam reached for the wireless remote and began recording, listening closely as Vlad's voice filled the room.

"I'm sorry, Danny. It's all _my_ fault. I knew that if I told Dash, she'd hear me, but I was so angry…. This is exactly why I pick on _you_ about _your_ temper!

"Now look at you! Because of _my_ stupid mistake, you're in the hospital! Danny, I'm so… so sorry….

"Please, when you wake up, you _need_ to tell me what she did. Danny, I _need_ to know! You can't keep _this_ bottled up inside like you're doing with Jo and Demo. Yes, I _can_ tell. So many years of babysitting makes it easy to read you. Though obviously not as easy as it is for _you_ to read _me_….

"Danny, I know you're going through probably ten rough patches at once, but I'm here to help! Trust me, little badger, I'll help you however I can."

Sam heard Vlad sigh before walking over to the door and leaving. She decided she could leave as well and did, the recorder still in action.

After all, it wasn't like she'd miss anything important.

4)!\9

Paulina glanced up at her rearview mirror, adjusting it so she could see her own reflection. Besides, _no one_ would be stupid enough to hit _her_. And if they did, her insurance company would make sure it was _their_ fault. Otherwise, they'd find themselves out of business.

After all, Paulina _always_ got her way.

She turned into the hospital, parking in the closest spot she could find. Looking at her reflection again, she ruffled her hair and smeared her makeup. With a satisfied nod, she twisted her shirt in her hands to give it a wrinkled look before getting out of the car and running in.

The nurse at the front desk was the first to notice Paulina's tears, though she didn't know they were false. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said, "what seems to be the problem?"

"M—M—My b---boyf—friend, h—h—h—he was br—br—ought in a f—f—few m—minutes a—ago!" she sobbed.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but only family is allowed in—"

"P—P—Pl—lease, I n—n—_need_ to s—s—see D—Danny! H—H—He's alw—ways g—getting into t—trou—ouble, and n—now he's in th—the h—hospit—tal!"

"Ma'am, you can't—"

"H—He said—d he w—wanted t—to as—sk me s—someth—thing! He s—said—d it w—was im—import—tant!"

The nurse gasped lightly, again taking Paulina at face value. "You said Danny, yes?" she asked, turning to her computer.

"D—Danny F—Fen—nton," Paulina supplied, internally smirking that her plan was working so well. People were _so_ easily influenced.

"He's in room 304, down that hall, fifth door on your right."

"Oh, th—thank you, ma'—a'—a'am!" Paulina sobbed before running down the hall. Outside the door, she glanced around to make sure no one saw her. Seeing no one, she walked inside, pulling on a pair of doctor's gloves she grabbed from her purse before she shut the door and pushed a chair against it. She turned to Danny, who was still asleep. He seemed even tinier—well, _thinner_, more fragile—with all the tubes and wires hooked up to his body. An oxygen mask was covering half his face, even. Paulina looked around quickly, seeing no cameras and smirking.

This would be even easier than she thought.

She walked up to him, digging out a knife from her purse. She'd checked every detail of her plan, _every last one_. So long as no one saw her leave, it'd be perfect.

It was times like this that made her actually _glad_ she'd been the only cheerleader in the history of popularity versus the nerd-verse to have dated a nerd. She was pretty, popular, _and_ smart. Who cares if a little sadism was thrown in every now and then?

Her plan was only helped along further by Danny's track record. She had checked this part _very_ carefully. The _poor boy_, loosing his parents at such a young age, feeling the affects of that loss in his psyche. After all, once suicidal, _always_ suicidal, right? Right.

She positioned herself next to his bed, sliding the knife into his hand and his hand into hers. Then, she cautiously, carefully, _tediously_ traced the knife over the scars she _knew_ he still had on his wrists. The first cut was a test run, not too deep in case he woke up and screamed. Luckily for her (but unlucky for Danny), he had built up a strong resistance to pain over the years since his parents' death.

She traced the cut again, deeper, drawing out a stream of blood that dripped nearly silently onto the floor. She switched the knife into his other hand, repeating the process on his opposite wrist.

She pulled away, leaving the blade in his hand, knowing that his grip was firm even in sleep. She smirked down at him as she pulled off first one glove, then the other, turning them inside-out and placing them in her purse as she bent down to whisper in his ear, "Sleep tight, my little puppy."

She stood erect again, smiling as two rivulets of blood slowly flowed onto the floor. If she was lucky, he would bleed out before anyone decided to check in on him.

She pulled out a small, clean, white cloth from her purse to push the chair back to its original place and open the door. Stepping outside, she closed the door again. Satisfied that her prints were _nowhere_, she resumed her grief-stricken girlfriend façade.

The nurse at the front desk noticed her come up and glanced at her. "Did—Did he get to ask you his important question?"

Paulina just barely caught herself from tensing at the sudden noise, her false tears covering it up as her shoulders shook. She turned back to look at the nurse with a watery smile. "N—No, h—he w—was st—t—hill a—aslee—eep. I—I j—just—t cou—ouldn't w—wake hi—im up—p."

The nurse smiled at her. "I'm sure he'll be up to ask you soon. Until then, you just keep yourself together. Your fian—Danny will be fine, I'm sure of it."

Paulina's fake smile grew as tears come to her eyes again. "Oh, th—thank you! I—I'm su—ure of i—it, too—oo!"

"Have a good day now, ma'am!" the nurse called out as Paulina continued out to her car. "Ah, young love…."

Paulina got into her vehicle, pulling away and rolling her eyes. " 'Your fian—Danny', ha! So simple…."

She drove away, pleased at her job well done.

4)!\9

At the same moment, a nurse was walking down the three-hundred hallway. The doctor there told her to go check in on the patient in 304.

She walked back to the room and slowly opened the door, humming slightly as she smiled. She loved checking in on the patients, she often had lovely conversations with them. After all, it _was_ her job to keep the comfortable and encouraged during their stay.

The door swung fully open, and a scream echoed through the hospital as a knife clattered to the floor of room 304.

234032

A/N: And Danny is once again in a hospital.

Okay, so in here, we get to see more Danny-Demo convo's, which are _very_ fun to write. Also, we see Paulina getting her way in almost everything. The "puppy" line she says is actually due to the fact that she always says she has Danny "trained". Yeah, evil little –itch. Anywayz, we also have a stupid nurse who'll believe _anything_, and Danny and Demo's ability to actually _see_ each other inside their head. I think that's actually all the notes I have on this chapter, other than the fact that I didn't know I could be this gory.


	8. F 3

A/N: This is both chapters three and four.

234032

"Ma'am!" Vlad Masters cried out as he rushed over to the front desk's nurse. "Please, I _must_ see my nephew!"

"Name?" she asked cautiously, not wanting a repeat of what had happened half an hour ago. The police were _still_ checking the scene to rule out attempted homicide.

"His name is Daniel Fenton. I'm his uncle, Vlad Masters. I just got a phone call that he—cut himself." 

"He's in stable condition, but no one's allowed to see him, sir." The nurse had been told that Vlad Masters would most likely come to check in on Danny. She knew his face from the papers and knew he was who he said he was, but that didn't change protocol.

"I understand, ma'am, but was anyone in there _before_ he… did that?"

"You, and his girlfriend."

Warning bells went off in Vlad's head. "Girlfriend?" Either Danny had forgotten to tell him something or….

"Yes, she looked horrible. Could barely speak from crying. Had black hair and blue eyes, Hispanic. Wore a lot of pink…?" The nurse let the sentence form into a slight question when she saw the rage on Vlad's face.

"Paulina," Vlad hissed. "I should've known…."

"S—Sir?"

Vlad shook his head once. "Ma'am, I'm actually a detective myself." He pulled out his badge to show her. Detective, in charge of an agency, same thing, right? "May I _please_ see my nephew's room?"

"…Sure. Down the hall, fifth door on the right."

"Thank you, ma'am." He ran off.

"…You're welcome…?"

4)!\9

Vlad looked around the room, seeing the blood patterns and the knife. They were the only things out of place in the sterile environment.

Lancer glanced up at him, an eyebrow raised. "Sir?" Vlad's gaze moved over to him. Lancer could see his eyes were watering slightly. "Sir, this is a crime scene, you're going to have to—"

"I'm Vlad Masters, Danny's uncle," he said quickly, flashing his badge again. "I have reason to believe this _wasn't_ a suicide attempt."

Lancer's eyebrow raised further. "Really? What reason?"

"Sir, Danny's mental health has been under control since I adopted him, aside from one small problem he had when he was six. Since then, he has been in the best of health, and a simple move would not be enough to send him back to this state of mind." _As well as the fact that a sadistic maniac has followed him here due to my stupid slip,_ he added angrily to himself.

"What _was_ it, then?"

"It was a—"

"Sir?" Tucker called, standing up with the knife in gloved hands.

"Yes, Foley?"

"It's the same knife, or close to it."

"As what?" Vlad asked quickly, blinking. _If that knife really __**is**__… then we're in more trouble than I thought…._

Lancer looked up at him again, studying him. He knew the man was Danny's uncle, but that didn't mean he fully trusted him. "We're investigating the possible homicide of a Jane Doe. The knife found at the scene is a duplicate of this one."

Vlad's eyes widened. _Worse than even __**I**__ thought…!_ "Did… did Danny… recognize it?"

One of Lancer's eyebrows raised. "Yes. When he went to pick it up, though, he fell unconscious."

"So, he's piecing it together and she's getting mad…." Vlad whispered.

"What?"

Vlad nearly jumped, looking back up at Lancer. "Sir, Danny knows whose knives those are."

Lancer's face turned grim, his mouth now a thin line. "Really? So, we again have a situation where he's caught in the middle of a case?"

"Yes, but this time, the suspect isn't going to take her—or his—time in killing him."

4)!\9 (Note: That's where chapter three ended, just because I wanted the cliffy)

"So, you've woken up, eh?" the doctor asked as he walked into Danny's room. Danny himself had been confused as to why he was tied down to a bed. His mind had first thought of the worst until Demo had managed to—slowly—calm him down. He nodded weakly. "Lost a lot of blood, y'know."

"Wha?" Danny moaned through the oxygen mask covering his face. His thoughts were muggy and his words slurred.

"Well, I'm here to make sure ya don't try it again." The doctor nodded matter-of-factly and sat down on a chair blocking the door.

_Triwa? _Danny thought fuzzily to Demogorgon.

_**They think you tried to suicide. Your scars were cut open again.**_

_Wa? Oowuddooat?_

_**Three guesses, and the first two don't count. **__**Paulina**___

_DenVadnos._

_**Yes, but no one else does. They think you're the one who murdered the Jane Doe. Paulina left her calling card.**_

_Daniv._

_**Yeah. But Lancer's starting to think it was an attempted homicide, thanks to Vlad.**_

_Anaovers?_

_**They're beginning to think the same. But Paulina's getting haughty. She'll try something again. **__**Soon**___

_Ino. Illfinkasumin._

_**Hopefully.**_

_Yeh._

4)!\9

"Sir!" Sam said, running up to Lancer. "_What happened?_"

"Either he attempted suicide, or it was a _very_ well-planned homicide attempt," he replied. An eyebrow was raised at her franticness. "Didn't you wire the room?"

"Yes, but I—I left it on! I'll go see what the recorder picked up!" She ran back out and into the other room, rewinding the tape. She heard the door open and close again, signaling Vlad's exit. There were a few minutes of silence before she heard sobbing from just outside. Soon, the sobs disappeared into running footsteps. The door opened and closed again, with a slight pause and rustling between the two.

Sam gasped as the sound of a moving chair was heard. Then a shuffling noise and footsteps again. The heart monitor beeped quietly as Danny slowly breathed in and out. Someone was moving something, then there was quiet. The heart monitor continued.

…_Beep. …Beep._

Something was dripping onto the floor.

…_Beep. Beep._

Something was moved again.

_Beep. Beepbeep._

A slight pause.

_Beepbeepbeep. Beepbeepbeep._

More dripping.

_Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!_

Gloves were pulled off. Sam gasped as a hiss of "_Sleep tight, my little puppy_" was heard. There was another rustling, then the chair was pushed back again. The door was opened and closed. Sobs could be heard once more.

_Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!_

Whistling was heard outside. The door opened and closed, _again._ There was a shriek, and metal clattered to the ground.

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—_

Sam shut off the recording, having marked it as substantial evidence proving that it _was_ a homicide attempt.

But who would want to kill _Danny?_

4)!\9

"Manson," Vlad said, bringing the rushing girl to a stop. "How much do you know?"

Something about his voice, the darkness there, put her on edge. "A—About Danny's case?" She waited for his nod. "It was _definitely_ a homicide attempt. I've got a voice that they're running now.

"Pull the voice."

She gaped at him. "_What?_" He couldn't be serious! There was no possible _way_ he'd want—

"Don't run it. If you do, the next attempt on Danny will actually work."

"_What?_ _Next_ attempt? How would you—Wait, _you know who—?_"

"_**Sssh!**_" He glanced around suspiciously, pulling her to the side of the hallway. "_No one_ can know who it was. If they do, she'll just attack again. You have to wait until she's—between victims."

"What the hell are you _talking_ about?"

"She jumps around from victim to victim. Until Danny's stable, we can't put him in that kind of danger!"

Sam was downright _mad_ now. The man before her was so _infuriating_, thinking she couldn't handle what was going on! "Then what do you suggest we do?" she asked, challenging him.

He gave her a sad look that almost made her regret her previous thoughts. Almost. "Now?" he said, watching her nod. He looked off to the side, not daring to meet her eyes. "Absolutely nothing."

4)!\9

_**Dan, get up before the doc catches you again!**_ Demo hissed. Dr. Lucky seemed convinced that Danny was a critical suicide threat, barely leaving the room for fear Danny would be dead the next minute.

Danny himself looked up from where he was trying to unscrew the vent. The doorknob was wiggling. "_Kuso_," he mumbled as he ran for his bed. He had just pulled his blanket up over his head when the door burst open.

_**False alarm, D. It's just Sam**_

_Thaaaanks._

_**Anytime.**_

Sam Manson marched up to Danny's bed, ripping the blanket off. Danny gasped at the sudden cold while turning to face her and sitting up.

"What's your—"

"_Who is it?_"

The question threw him off-balance. "Wha—_what?_"

She slammed her hands onto the bed, unknowingly pinning him there. "I _know_ you know who it was! Your uncle basically _said_ you were friends with her!"

"I may _know_ her, but there's no freakin' _way_ I'm friends with that _sadist!_" Danny snarled.

Sam seemed taken aback. "So… so, you… know her?"

Danny sneered. "Didn't you just _say_ I knew her?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Trust me, I wish I _didn't _know her."

"Danny, who—?" What did she do?"

Danny's sneer faded as fast as it came. He pulled his knees up to his chin. "She dug up too much on me…. She knew how… how I was…. She tried to make it look like it was my fault…."

"What?" Sam was _completely_ lost now. Who was "she", and why was Danny acting so…so _vulnerable?_

"She slit my wrists, to make it look like I was suicidal again."

"A—_again?_"

The sneer was back, his legs still up in a fetal position. "I had some problems when I first moved in with my uncle, okay?!"

Sam stared down at him, taking in how he had suddenly tensed up and turned away from her. "But, you and Vlad seem to—"

"_**Vlad's **__**not**__** my uncle!**_"

Sam blinked, shocked. "What?"

Danny flopped back down onto his bed, growling at the ceiling. "We only say that to… to keep people from finding out. M—My _real_ uncle took me in right after my parents died. I had… some problems adjusting after the move. He didn't like it."

"He… _what?_"

"He felt I should be… _grateful_ for the—for my new home. He threatened several times to… to send me away. He 'didn't want to deal with me'."

"_Why?_ Why would he do that?"

"Because he hates me! …Hated, whatever. Vlad got me outta there as soon as he could once he found out. But, my uncle didn't like that. He didn't want me gone." Danny chuckled darkly, staggering Sam once more. She never knew he could be so… _sinister_. "For all his talk and attitude, all he wanted was someone to beat around. _**Me**_" He glared over at an empty corner, turning further from Sam's concerned glance. "Of _course_ I had that problem! No one understood _why_ I started acting like that. As far as anyone knew, I was still an orphan mourning his parents' and sisters' deaths." 

"Danny," she stammered, trying to get him to look at her again, "Danny, I—I'm so—so sor—"

"_Don't say it!_" he yelled. "_Kami_, I _hate _it when people _say_ _that!_"

"Danny—" she tried again, unable to see the tears streaking down Danny's face.

"_Just __**LEAVE!**_"

She stared for a moment before nodding and moving to the door. She looked back for a second, watching as Danny mumbled "Shut up" several times. She turned and left as Danny huddled back under his blanket, tuning out Demo's attempts at calming him.

234032

A/N: So, we have some mind-fuzziness on Danny's part, but not Demo's, just to show that they are in fact separate people in one head. Also, we've got Vlad-guilt.

You would not _believe_ how hard it was for me to match up the sounds with what order they were in last chapter. I didn't think it'd be that hard. TT.TT But I finally got them matched up.

We also see some worry on Vlad's part because of the trouble Danny's in.

Danny and Sam's talk that leads into the discovery that Danny lived with someone _other_ than Vlad or his parents was a surprise to me when I wrote it. Though it _does_ give me the chance to bring in a very fun, very evil OC. You'll meet him later, though. ;P

Also, Danny's little pity-party is due to the fact that he hasn't quite gotten over what his uncle did to him when he was little. This part of his history ties into his school history (Vlad taking him out of school and sending him to one in the States). Danny and his real uncle had lived in England, thus Danny's British slang.


	9. F 4

A/N: Now, for chapter five (technically).

234032

"MANSON! We've almost got a match for that voice!" Lancer declared as he came up to her.

"What?" she gaped. "I—I thought I'd pulled—"

"I put it back on. Really, Sam, you should know better than to pull evidence like that! Why'd you pull it, anyway?"

"Because she's still after Danny!"

Lancer froze for a second, looking sideways at her. "H—Sam, how do you know that?"

"They told me, okay? That's how I know. I also know that Danny's _already_ next on her hit list. Our finding out what _really_ happened could cause the killer to get rid of him!"

"Get rid of who?" Paulina's voice came. "Not my little Danny!"

"Yes, Paulina," Lancer sighed, "Someone's trying to kill Danny."

Sam huffed. So much for keeping the case on the down-low.

"Do you know who?" the Latina simpered.

"Not yet. We're running her voice now, though. It could take a little while."

Sam caught the slightest flicker of anger on Paulina's face before she grinned. "That's great news, then! Please, tell me as soon as results are in!" The girl sauntered off, leaving the two confused cops in her wake.

Sam turned quickly to Lancer. "Sir, she—!"

"I know, I saw, but we have to wait for evidence."

"Sir, by then, it could be too late!"

"We'll have to trust Vlad and Danny that it won't."

4)!\9

_**Someone's coming, **_Demo hissed.

_Who?_

_**Can't tell. Something's mucking my—our—senses. It's impossible to say who it is.**_

_Kuso._

_**You said it.**_

The door burst open, and Danny jumped to look up. The moment he did, though, he jumped down off the bed to back away from the woman who had come in.

Paulina walked towards him, pulling out one more knife from her purse. "They. Bugged. Your. Room," she snarled.

"And you think _I_ had something to do with that?"

"It was _your_ room, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but I was unconscious the whole time!"

The knife flashed out, and Danny pulled back. A trickle of blood flowed from the new cut on his right cheek. "What the _hell_ was that for?!?" Danny screamed, lunging forward at her again. The point of the knife found itself at his neck, and he froze.

"You'll be unconscious _again_ when I'm done with you," Paulina hissed.

"What do you want, Paulina?" Danny asked hoarsely, forcing himself not to yell.

"They've got my voice."

"You were stupid enough to talk?" The tip of the knife forced him to raise his head higher. "Sorry," he grumbled. The knife lowered again.

"They're running it now. I want it off."

"Paulina, I'm stuck in a hospital! How am _I _supposed to get it?"

"_That_ is _your_ problem. But you'd better hope you do, or not even _Phantom_ will get away from me."

Danny glared until Paulina pushed the knife slightly further in. "Fine. I'll get the voice."

Paulina removed the knife. "Good little puppy. I see you haven't forgotten your _training_."

"I'm doing you a _favor_, Paulina. Don't make me regret it," he snarled.

The girl scoffed. "Oh, please. You're trying to _survive_, simple as that!"

Danny lunged forward, grabbing her wrist to force the knife away from him. With a twist, the knife fell from her hand, and he kicked it away. He brought his other leg up into a high kick, throwing her into the door. As she slid down, he dove for the knife.

She approached rapidly, pausing for only a second at the knife he brandished before laughing. "Please! Like _you've_ got the balls to stab me!"

"_Why not?_" he hissed, Demo's orange eyes glaring up at her. "I stabbed my own sister."

"S—Since when are your eyes orange?" she gasped, suddenly fearful.

"_Since I found out exactly what I am._"

She tried to call his bluff. "You're just a _ghost!_"

"Correction, I'm _half_ ghost." He vanished, reappearing behind her. "_But I'm full Reaper._"

The girl turned around and screamed at seeing her little knife replaced by a scythe. She ran to the door, escaping as Danny's eyes faded back to blue.

_Y—You… scared her away, _he thought in shock.

'_**Course I did. **__**Someone**__** had to.**_

_She'll __really__ want us dead now._

_**Let her try. The results are in.**_

4)!\9

"Sir, the results are in!" Dash said, waving the papers in the air as he and Kwan ran towards Lancer. Lancer looked up just in time to jump back so they didn't run over him.

"I thought you two had left?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Nah, Vlad's paying for our hotel rooms until Danny gets better. Which will be soon, now that we've got the voice!"

"Really? Let's see it."

They handed over the papers, letting Lancer read through them. They waited as his eyes widened with each line.

"Is this—?"

"Yeah, it's her, Mr. Lancer."

"She snuck right past all of us… and Danny _had_ seemed strange around her…." He looked up at them. "How long has—?"

"We don't know. Danny never really talked about it. Then again, he was quiet pretty much all the time."

"I see. We'll have to ask him after—"

"Sir!" Tuck said, running over with Sam and Val. "The hospital just called. Danny got into a fight."

"With who?"

"They don't know. But when they got in there, he was standing up, holding a knife, and staring at the door."

"The knife?"

"Same as all the others."

"It was her, sir, it _had_ to be!" Kwan exclaimed. "Those knives are hers!"

Sam's cell phone rang, and she answered quickly. "What is it?"

"And we didn't know this before _because…?_" Lancer glared.

"Danny didn't want to say."

"_What?_" Sam hissed into the phone.

"Why didn't he tell us?" Lancer asked.

"Because he's too stubborn," Dash answered, shrugging.

"Not stubborn enough," Sam replied as she shut her phone. "Hospital just released him. Said his cousin came to pick him up."

"And?"

"He doesn't have a cousin," Dash gaped. "We've gotta go! She's got Danny!"

4)!\9

"Mr. Fenton?" the nurse said, walking in. Danny looked up from where he was sitting, a small bandage covering the cut on his cheek and another on the spot on his neck that the knife had knicked. "Sir, someone's checked you out."

"Was it Vlad?"

"No, it was your cousin. Very nice young lady."

_Chikoshu._

_**We're in trouble.**_

"Mr. Fenton?"

His head snapped up again. "C—Could I stay here until my uncle—?"

The nurse glared. "No, Mr. Fenton! You've been checked out, now go!" She pulled him up by his arm, marching him down to the front desk, where Paulina was waiting.

_Why do hospitals always seem to believe her?_

_**That, young grasshopper, is the question everyone wants to know.**_

…_Call me that again and I'll put a steel knife straight through my heart._

_**Sorry.**_

The moment Paulina saw Danny, she leapt at him.

"C'mon, Cousin Danny, Daddy's been _so_ worried!"

"I know he has," Danny replied, clenching his hands into fists. She grabbed his arm and dragged him outside, pushing him to walk in front of her. He hesitated, cursing when he felt the tip of a blade touch his back.

"Keep walking, Phantom, or I'll kill you." 

"Oh, please, do," he growled.

"I'll kill everyone around you, too."

"You wouldn't," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"_Try me._"

He gnashed his teeth before beginning to walk again. Paulina smirked. "Just like my good little puppy, hm?"

"_**Shut up.**_"

The knife inched closer, and he hissed. "_What did you say?_" she snarled.

"Which. Way?" Danny ground out.

She nudged him with the knife in his left shoulder. He turned with it, knowing he was heading for Paulina's car. He knew that meant that Paulina was ready to kill him, but he wasn't worried. Demo and he could beat her, no problem.

They arrived at the car, and she dug the knife point into his back until he opened the door and climbed in. Paulina moved to the front and started the car before turning around and saying, "The doors are child-proof, so you shouldn't be able to get out."

Danny snarled, hating _anyone_ calling him a child. He was _nineteen_, dammit! As she laughed, he took a good look at the 'child-proof' doors. They seemed simple enough, push a button using his intangibility and one well-placed kick would open it. He just had to make sure Paulina didn't see….

But he didn't have to worry about that as a police car pulled up behind them. Paulina cursed, looking back at him through the rearview mirror. "Who the hell did you call?"

Danny glared back. "No one! I don't even have my phone!"

"Then how—" She cut off as she yanked at the steering wheel to swerve around another cop car. A third car spun out sideways into the road in front of her. "Damn," she muttered, turning quickly onto a side road. As the cars surrounded hers, she glanced into the mirror at him again. "Turn invisible. _NOW!_"

He did so, knowing what she'd do if he didn't. Paulina pulled over, rolling down her window as Lancer and Sam walked up. "Is there a problem, officers?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"We need to check your car, ma'am," Lancer replied professionally while Sam opened the back door and looked inside. Nothing.

"Can you pop the trunk, _ma'am?_" Sam said, spitting out the title in new-found hate for the pink princess and her pink Cadillac.

"Sure." Paulina did so, internally smirking as the back door closed.

Sam quickly checked the trunk before looking at Lancer and shaking her head.

"Thank you, ma'am." The cop cars pulled away.

Danny cursed silently from where he was trying to intangibly and invisibly unlock the door. Pulling his hand out, he silently counted down for—

"Change back," Paulina ordered. He obeyed, waiting for her to put her attention back on the road. As soon as she did, he kicked sideways, popping the door open and jumping out.

He rolled a few times before coming to a stop in the dirt. Completely forgetting his powers and without wasting any time by brushing himself off, he stood and ran back towards the city. Days like these, he was _very_ glad he had been in track at school. The mile or two he had to run would take him, at his worst, ten minutes.

Then, of course, he'd have to factor in Paulina's car. It could go _much_ faster than him, even at his best.

"_Kami_, I hate math," he grumbled. He could hear a car driving after him, and, with a feeble hope that Paulina's car would break down, he sped up.

The car behind him honked, and he kept going. But the minute he heard the siren, he slowed to a stop. Frozen, he turned slowly to make sure he was right. One of the cop cars was pulling up next to him, and one more was close behind. Sam and Lancer jumped out from the first as Danny collapsed, laughing hysterically. That whole time, he was running from the good guys!

Dash and Kwan ran up to the three, checking on their friend as he finally relaxed. Tuck and Val had been the first to see him jump out of the car, and they had Paulina in custody already. With that out of the way, Dash and Lancer drove to get Danny while Tuck drove Paulina back to the police station.

Danny chuckled a few more times. _She's finally getting locked up after all those years._

_**Get some sleep, kid, you deserve it.**_

For the first time in his life, Danny didn't object to being called a kid as he fell asleep, still giggling.

234032

A/N: I actually had a lot of fun writing the small fight scene between Danny/Demo and Paulina. Especially Demo scaring her away with the knife and Danny's shock at the end of it.

Note: Danny only said he'd try to get the voice off because he knew that Paulina had some uber painful Fenton-designed weaponry, i.e. her knife. Yes, it is Fenton made. And yes, she likes to flaunt (to Danny, at least) that she's got a million of them and isn't afraid to use them.

Also, Paulina once again gets her way due to the stupid nurses. This hospital needs better employees. ;P

Yeah, Danny completely forgot his powers at the end there. Blame it on stress. ;P


	10. F 5

A/N: Okay! Finally back with a week until school starts. Joy….

So, here's the last chapter/epilogue of Fading!

234032

"Danny," Vlad called, walking into the room.

Danny looked up from his bed, staring at his faux uncle's raised eyebrow as he lowered his hand from the bandage around his head. "It's annoying me, Vlad," he mumbled.

Vlad laughed. "Only you could wear a headband everyday, but get annoyed by a bandage. Your doctors are _sure_ you don't have head trauma?"

"Shut it," Danny grumbled, straining not to blush at the teasing. "So, am I officially—and legally—out of the hospital now?" he asked with a hopeful look.

"Yes, you are. But I'm not letting you drive like that!" Vlad glared as Danny pouted and pulled his hand back from his car keys.

"I'm _fine_, Vlad!" the teen complained.

"You hit your head! Your left arm is in a sling! Your leg's torn up! You are _not_ fine, and you are _not driving!_"

"Fine, fine," he answered, rolling his eyes. "You can drive me."

"Thank you. Now, where to?"

"I just wanna go home." Danny smiled at the thought.

"God, I feel like a chauffeur," Vlad griped, covering his eyes with a hand.

"Really?" Danny smirked. "Then once around the block, Vladimir!"

Vlad shot a glare at his ecstatic—and overly-sarcastic—charge. "Just get in the car before I change my mind and leave you here another week!"

Danny's eyes widened, and he quickly said, "I take back my joke! Please take me home, Uncle Vladdie!"

Vlad chuckled. "You _really_ want out of here, don't you?"

"Wouldn't you?" Danny retorted. "I mean, I've _only_ been here for the past few days since I was almost murdered twice." Vlad scoffed, then led him out and to his car, where Vlad got in to drive. Danny sat shotgun.

After all of five minutes' silence, Vlad asked, "So… had a good week?"

"Paulina followed me here, tried to kill me twice, killed someone else, and almost got away with kidnapping me. Yeah, I had a _great_ time," Danny replied, sarcasm dripping from each word.

"Well, the last day and a half was better, right?"

"Minus the injuries, not being able—_allowed_—to drive, and running from a cop car, yeah, they were better."

"I heard that you were hysterical when they caught up with you. Was it really _that_ bad an experience?"

"I was _laughing_, moron," Danny said with a roll of his eyes. "one of those _relieved_ laughing fits."

"_Sure_ it was." Vlad pulled up to Danny's hotel.

"Can I go now, or are there more stupid questions you wanna ask me?" Danny asked sardonically.

"No, I think that was about it," Vlad said acerbically. "I'm going to be leaving for Wisconsin in a few days. Dash and Kwan are staying. I decided that could take a short leave to help out here."

"In other words, help me transition back in to Amity Park. The thought's appreciated, Vlad, but I don't need help or sympathy."

"But you _do_ need friends."

Danny glanced over at him, smiling. "Every so often you say something _really_ meaningful."

"And every so often you say something smart."

"Hey! Uncertified genius, here!"

"The minute I see certification, I'll stop teasing you, but not a moment sooner!"

"Bye, Vlad," Danny said, rolling his eyes and getting out.

"Bye, little badger," Vlad answered through the rolled-down window as he turned around.

"I'm not little anymore, fruit loop! Say hi to Maddie for me!"

"I will! She misses you, Daniel!"

Danny watched, chuckling as his guardian pulled away. "That cat only misses me 'cause I'm the one who sneaks her table scraps…."

He walked towards the building slowly, relishing the fresh air. Well, until the rain started.

"You've gotta be _kidding_ me!" he yelled at the sky, laughing even more now. "My first day back, and it _rains!_"

Now he ran inside, bursting in through the door and shaking the rain off like a dog.

"Welcome back, Dan," the front desk clerk said as Danny came in.

"Hey, Jay," Danny answered, turning towards him. With the sling and bandage now in plain sight, Jay's hazel eyes widened.

"How the _hell'd_ you drive here?!"

"I didn't. Vlad drove me."

"I see. So, how ya gonna get to and from work?"

Danny paused, blinking. "…_Kuso_."

Jay laughed. "Why not have that Sam girl drive you? Then, maybe I won't have to hear about her as much."

Danny fought down the urge to blush and lost. "Shut up, Jay…."

"Aww, Dan's got a crush! So, I'm guessing I'll be the godfather? Or will that honor go to Vlad?"

"Quit it, Jay!"

"So, Vlad won't let his precious 'nephew' drive?"

"Yeah, 'Uncle Vladdie' is being overprotective again," Danny replied, rolling his eyes.

"I'd bet." Jay's smirk slipped from his face as his eyes widened. "Hey, are you _really_ gonna leave your company alone in your room?"

"What company?" Danny gaped.

Jay stared at him in shock. "…Dang, Dan, some girl came in, asked which room you were in, and got the bellhop to unlock the door."

"A—A girl?"

"Yeah."

"What did she look like?"

"Uh, couple years younger than you. Her clothes were kinda ratty, and she… Dan, she looked like you used to."

"…_What?_"

4)!\9

Danny unlocked his door, staring around to check for anything missing. With nothing out of place in plain view, he moved into the living room.

"What the hell?" he murmured when he saw the lump on his couch. He walked over and poked it. The lump moved. Jumping back in shock, Danny pulled at the blanket covering the lump.

It was the girl. She was about three years younger than him. Blinking rapidly, Danny noticed her short hair, the same shade of black his had been before he'd dyed it. As her eyes blinked open, Danny stared. Staring back at him were his own bright blue eyes.

She gasped lightly, pulling the blanket up over her head again while mumbling, "Not yet, not yet…."

"…What the _hell?_" he gaped. He dragged the blanket off her once more, and her mantra was cut short.

She opened one eye in a slight wince. "Uh," she stammered cautiously, "hi?"

"Who are you?" he asked, his suspiciousness obvious.

"I—I'm Danlie."

"Where are your parents? Who are they? I'll call them and get you a ride hom—"

"Uh, that's the thing," she said, cutting him off. "I'm adopted. M—My f—foster dad got rid of me a while ago."

"_What?_ How could he do that?"

"H—He wasn't all that great, anyway. B—But I found my b—brothers recently."

"Then what's their phone number? They can pick you u—"

"You don't get it! Y—You were adopted too, big brother."

"…_What the __**hell?!**_"

234032

A/N: Weeee! Okay, so that's the end of book two and the introduction of Danlie/transition into book three! And before anyone asks, yes, Danlie basically is the Reaper-verse version of Dani(elle) Fenton/Phantom.

Song for this book: Panic!At the Disco's Camisado. -Totally awesome.

Now, Danlie's past comes out over the course of the next book. However, the reason why she debuted right here instead of later on in the series is due to one thing: I needed a driver for Danny while he was healing. Yes, even though he's out of commission for now, he still goes to work and helps out with a few things. Though that doesn't mean the rest of Lancer's unit is thrilled with that. ;P So, yes, Danlie is thrown into the mix to both be a chauffeur and little sister. And of course, to add in a little more danger to Danny's life due to her reckless driving. (Those of you who watch NCIS: Think Gibbs' and Ziva's driving mixed together. _I_ don't even want to be in that car!)

And nowww, SNEAK PEEKS TO BOOK THREE!

34( 70 !3

"_Bye, Danny."_

"_Bye, Sam." He hung up, sighing._

"_Who was that?" Danlie asked suddenly. He jumped again. "Was that your __**girlfriend?**__"_

"_She's not my girlfriend."_

"_Then why'd she ask you out?"_

"_Shut up, Danlie."_

_**Kami,**__** she **__**is**__** a little sister!**_

_34( 70 !3_

"_What?"_

_Danny shook his head to clear it. "N—Nothing."_

_Danlie glanced at him, not believing it at all._

"_**Eyes on the road!**__" he screamed as the car swerved._

_She squealed, twisting the wheel. The car was set straight again as both sighed. Danlie chuckled, glancing at him. "Would you believe I only got my permit a little while ago?"_

"_It would __**definitely**__ explain some things…." he ground out._

_34( 70 !3_

"_Anything else?" Danny asked, running his good hand through his hair._

"_Just that… some of the stuff your blood and hair say you've done is pretty scary."_

_Danny quickly glanced at Sam before answering, "I had some trouble before I moved in with Vlad."_

_34( 70 !3_

"_Damn. J's not gonna be happy about this."_

"_So we don't tell. We'll get him in something else soon as they can move again."_

"_Right. Let's get outta here before he gets __**us**__, too. Last thing we need is for our target to put us out of business." The two ran off._

_Sam turned to Dash, both speaking at the same time._

"_**Target?**__"_

_34( 70 !3_

A/N: There ya go! See ya in the next book, Back To Life!


	11. Back To Life 1

A/N: Okay, first chapter of a new book!

B4CK 70 L!F3: With Paulina behind bars, everyone thinks life will finally go back to normal. But with Danny's new "family" to worry about, things are just gonna get flipped around again.

234032

Nineteen-year-old Daniel Fenton-Ryder-Masters shook his head slowly to clear it. Yesterday, his life had been flipped upside-down. _Again._

The girl who had taken to calling him 'bro' walked into the kitchen just then. Last night, Danny had gotten Vlad's driver to take him shopping for clothes for sixteen-year-old Danlie. His apartment officially had two boarders now. Danlie seemed to be more than happy to sleep on the couch last night.

She was still a mystery to him. She showed up out of nowhere, claiming that she was his little sister and they'd both been adopted. He replayed their talk.

"_Yeah, you were taken away really young. When I was born, I was named after you. Daniel, Danlie. The only thing different was the 'l'."_

"_I'm __**not**__ adopted. I'm a Fenton, born and—well, half-raised. The other half was Ryder and Masters."_

_Danlie's eyes darkened at the name. She shook her head, trying to get back on topic and looking a little nervous._

"_Trust me, when you see our b—brothers, you'll realize that I—I'm telling you the t—truth."_

_She stumbled through that sentence,_ Danny thought.

_**She lied through her teeth, but didn't want to,**_ Demo continued. _**Someone's trying to manipulate her.**_

_But she's trying to fight it, which means someone's controlled her before._

"Hey, Danny?" she called, making him jump.

"Y—Yes, Danlie?" he gasped.

She giggled at him. "Where's your food?"

He blinked confused. Then he remembered and blushed. "I need to buy some. I'd barely moved in before I was in the hospital." _Twice,_ he added mentally.

"Well, let's go get some!" She pulled on his good arm, leading him to the door.

"Wait! I can't _drive!_"

"I can!"

"_W—Wait!_"

The phone rang, and she let him go, huffing.

"H—Hello?" he stammered, trying to clear his throat.

"Danny? You okay? You sound kinda funny," Sam's voice said.

He blushed again. "I—I'm fine. I just—"

"Oh, good! Well, we were wondering if you wanted to come out to eat with us."

"I'd like to, but I can't drive."

"I could pick you up!"

"_Daaaaan-nyyyyyyyyy!_"

He winced. "Uh, sorry, Sam, I can't. I, uh, sorta have company over."

"Oh, okay. Maybe next time."

"Maybe."

"Bye, Danny."

"Bye, Sam." He hung up, sighing.

"Who was that?" Danlie asked suddenly. He jumped again. "Was that your _girlfriend?_"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Then why'd she ask you out?"

"Shut up, Danlie."

_Kami__, she __is__ a little sister!_

"But, c'mon, I want _fooooood!_"

"Alright, already, I'm coming…."

34( 70 !3

_**I swear, get a new driver, or Jo's gonna be **__**dragged**__** to your death time!**_

_Hush up._

Danny shook when he got out of the car. "Where the bloody _hell_ did you learn to drive?"

"My foster dad taught me," she said dismissively. "Trust me, his driving's worse."

"It can get _worse?_"

"Oh, shut it."

The two walked into the grocery store, splitting up to grab what they'd need. Ten minutes later, they met at a register, Danny having gotten the things they'd need, Danlie the junk food.

Danny sighed as he paid for the food. Only two days, and already Danlie was costing him twice the rent for the apartment. At least she could drive him….

As he got back into the car with Danlie and she took off, he took back his former statement. He'd be better off taking the bus….

34( 70 !3

"Hey, Dan?"

"Yeah?" he groaned, trying to fall back asleep.

"Someone's called for you. I think it's your boss."

He jumped up, grabbing for the phone. "M—Mr. Lancer?"

"_Hello, Danny,"_ Lancer's voice said. _"Who was it that answered?"_

"Uh, just a friend, sir."

"_**Okay….**__ We need you to get down here, ASAP. We've got a robbery in progress. Hostage situation."_

"Right, sir. I'll get down there as—uh, where?"

"_The bank on 75__th__, right next to the grocery store."_

Danny blinked. They'd been there only a few minutes ago, and he hadn't seen _anything._ It must've been a—

"I'll be right there, sir, but I need a ride."

"_I'll-take-you!_" Danlie screamed.

"_Who was—?"_

"Never mind, sir, I've got a ride. Thanks, be right there!"

He hung up quickly, dragging a hand through his hair and Danlie back out to the car.

"Where we goin'?" she asked.

"The bank next to the grocery store, and _hurry!_"

34( 70 !3

Lancer, Val, Tuck, and Sam were already there. Dash and Kwan had gotten lost, but were on their way.

Danny and Danlie pulled up, he jumping out quickly. "Sir, how many?"

"Two guns. Two rounds are fired every few minutes. There's at least ten hostages. We're not sure of injuries. We were about to send someone in."

"Let me go, sir. I've done this a lot in Wisconsin." _Being the smallest actually had some perks over there…._

Lancer couldn't say no to the determined look Danny had on his face. "…Alright. Hurry."

"I will, sir." He ran in, disappearing from view.

Sam turned to Lancer, saying, "Sir, he's still hurt! Are you sure it was a good idea to—?"

"Yes. I trust him, Sam. You should, too."

"Yes, sir." She turned to the building, where more gunshots could be heard. "Be careful, Danny…."

34( 70 !3

Danny turned invisible the moment he could. A stream of blue smoke escaped his mouth as he approached the bank. He could hear someone talking inside now as he transformed.

"Johnny, get the cash and let's scram! I'm getting worried. You _know_ Phantom's back!" a whining, female voice said.

"C'mon, Kitty, like he's really gonna—"

"Come in and stop you? 'Cause that's what I was goin' for," he said, walking in. A girl with red eyes and green hair and a guy with green eyes and greasy blonde hair jumped. "Hey, Johnny, Kitty! I thought you two had quit the stealing business!" he said in mock greeting. He paused. "Well, then again, I thought Paulina had quit, too…."

"Phantom," the two growled.

He grinned. "The one and only! Now, let these people go, Johnny!"

"Hold 'im, Shadow!" Johnny commanded. His bad-luck shadow jumped out, pulling Danny's arms behind his back. As Danny struggled to break free, Johnny aimed a gun at him.

Danny saw this and laughed. "Wow, Johnny, you keep getting stupider and stupider! I got three words for you: _I'm. A. __**Ghost!**_"

Johnny smirked. "Rumor's goin' 'round that you're also a Reaper. Steel, ghost-proof bullets, Phantom. See you _never_." He fired, and Danny slipped free from Shadow's hold. Instead of Danny getting hit, Shadow was and disappeared.

Danny backflipped to the ground, wincing only slightly at his torn leg, before standing erect again. "Nice try, Johnny, but it takes more than that to kill _me._"

"Oh, yeah? Let's see just how good you are at dodging, huh? You had to have gotten slow after years out of practice!" He and Kitty fired rapidly, forcing Danny to dance around to avoid the bullets. He finally got off a few shots of his own, freezing them both with his cryokinetics. He reached behind him to grab a thermos from a strap on his back. With a press of a button, the two were sucked inside as Danny floated back down.

He glanced over at the hostages, motioning at them to leave. They stampeded out the door, and Danny changed back. He walked slowly outside after they had left.

Sam ran over the moment she saw him. "What happened? Are you okay?"

He smiled slightly. "I'm fine, Sam."

"What _happened?_ We heard the shots, and—!"

"Heh, actually, I didn't do anything," he said, a hand creeping backwards to rub his neck. "By the time I got there, Phantom had already gotten at them. It was a couple of ghosts. They were shooting at him, but he caught them. I didn't really do anything."

By then, Dash and Kwan had arrived, catching Danny's explanation. They smirked as they walked over.

Sam blinked, confused. "Phantom? Who's that?"

"Uh, j—just a—" Danny stammered, only to be cut off by Kwan.

"So, the 'ghost-boy' is still following you?"

Danny's eyes widened dramatically and he turned at them. "I th—think it might be _me_ who's following _him!_"

"_Danny!_" Danlie screamed, running over and hugging him tightly. He gasped, having the wind knocked out of him since she only came up to his chest. "Areyouokay?Whathappened?Thereweregunshotsand—!" she said rapidly.

"I'm _fine._"

"Danny, who—?" Lancer started.

Danny sighed, wanting to just tell them all at once. He finally pried himself free from Danlie and motioned to her. "This is Danlie. She's my… she's… she and I might be… related."

The others stared. "…_What?_"

234032

A/N: Alright, so we get introduced to Danlie's insane driving here. Trust me, it only gets worse from here!

Minimal Danny-Demo conversations simply because Demo is in major shock mode due to Danlie's driving. Yes, her driving can even terrify Reapers. She's just that awesome here.

The age difference is actually pretty important, due to… well, that's next chapter stuff, but yeah. You start to get a better idea of what's up with Danlie in the next two chapters.

Yes, Danlie is a junk food addict. Kinda funny 'cause as Demo points out later, Danny's a health nut. I sense some dinner arguments coming up… something about Danlie not wanting to eat her veggies. ;P


	12. BTL 2

A/N: Live from the "Thank-God-I've-Got-Very-Little-Homework" Network, CHAPTER TWO!

234032

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Danlie asked as she drove Danny to the Amity Park Police Department. The car was only swerving slightly today, a major improvement in Danny's mind.

"We're taking DNA samples to see if we _are_ related."

"Ohhh. That _is_ an easy way to check…." Danlie nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. Danny passed it off as her being worried about the truck trying to pass them.

"And the best part is that we'll know in just a day."

"S—Still, you should meet our brothers."

"Maybe I'd have more interest in them if you _told_ me about them. Like, what's their names?"

"Jim, Jake, Josh, and Jeff."

_**Daaamn.**_

Danny blinked in shock. "… I'm followed by J's wherever I go…."

"What?"

Danny shook his head to clear it. "N—Nothing."

Danlie glanced at him, not believing it at all.

"_Eyes on the road!_" he screamed as the car swerved.

She squealed, twisting the wheel. The car was set straight again as both sighed. Danlie chuckled, glancing at him. "Would you believe I only got my permit a little while ago?"

"It would _definitely_ explain some things…." he ground out.

She blushed. "Well, once you can drive again, we'll _see_ who's better!"

"Me, hands down," he replied haughtily/

"Oh, wanna bet now?"

"Why not? _I'll_ win."

"You. Are. _ON_. Bro."

34( 70 !3

"Alright, so you two want a DNA test?" Tuck asked, somewhat skeptical. How could they be siblings? Take away the matching eyes and they were completely different! First off, he had blue hair, she had black. Well, he may have _had_ black hair, but that wasn't a fact! …At least, it wasn't as far as Tucker knew.

"Yeah," Danny answered simply.

"Okay. Step up, I'll get a sample from you."

Danny moved up, but was stopped by Tucker.

"Oh, uh, not you. I still have that sample from two weeks ago." At Danny's confused look, he added, "From when that Reaper thing took you."

Danny's mouth formed an 'O' as he pushed Danlie forward. She gave him a slight glare as Tucker sat her down on a chair. He pulled out a needle and quickly began drawing some blood. Danlie winced, staring as the needle filled.

"Don't you have _enough?_" she whined. Tucker shook his head.

"It's best to get more than enough, just in case we can't get a good enough sample to compare to Danny's." He drew in just a little more, saying, "This should be good."

Danlie sighed in relief, hopping off the chair. "Good. I don't like needles, at _all._"

"I know how you feel," Tuck said with a shudder. "I mean, I can hardly believe I'm able to do this lab stuff! Hospitals _still_ freak me out. I couldn't even pass the nurse's office in school without having my eyes closed. Ask Sam or Valerie."

Danny chuckled, barely able to hide his own shudder at the needle. "Somehow, I can see you doing that."

Tuck turned to him, remembering a question he had. "So, what was up with those ghosts yesterday at the bank? I mean, you saw them, right?"

Danlie watched as Danny tensed. "Uh… they were, uh, robbing the bank, but Ph—Phantom stopped them before I got in there."

"And the gun shots?"

"They were shooting at Phantom." Danlie glanced up at him, and he stuttered out a speedy, "They—they _were_ ghosts, so I—I figured wh—why bother tr—trying to shoot. It w—wasn't like I c—could hurt them." Danlie's glance turned to a suspicious glare, and he decided to get out of there, quick. He got hold of Danlie's shoulder, maneuvering her in front of him and ignoring her protest. "We'd better go," he explained, "I'm not supposed to be doing much of anything this week, or Vlad will flip out on me. Tell me when you get the results."

Tuck watched as the two left, shaking his head. "Weird family…."

34( 70 !3

"You didn't tell him the whole truth, did you?" Danlie asked as she drove. Danny grumbled next to her. "You lied."

"I did _not_," he answered, glaring.

Danlie huffed, then suddenly spun the wheel, parking the car on the side of the road and turning sharply to him. "You're lying, I can tell. _Why?_"

"Because it's no one's business what happened. Phantom stopped the ghosts _and_ the robbery."

"And _you_ helped!"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What does it matter?"

Danlie was turning red. "I can understand you not trusting me. After all, we just met. But you can trust your own _friends!_"

"No, I can't."

"Well, _why not?_"

"Because I just met _them_, too!"

Both were red in the face, and Danny was breathing heavily in his anger. Danlie blinked, finally overcoming her shock at his outburst.

"Y—You… did?"

"Yeah. That's _why_ I don't trust them yet."

"Oh…. Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"Because it wasn't important." He sighed. "I'm still new in town, Danlie. I'd prefer to stay _under_ the radar for a while."

"You're a _cop_. I think 'under the radar' is a bit out of reach," she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Okay. Sorry."

He sighed. "It's fine. Let's just… go home."

She nodded as she put the car into gear and drove away.

34( 70 !3

Valerie walked into Tucker's lab a few hours later, calling out, "So what's the big deal?"

Tuck jumped, hitting his head on the top of the locker he'd been looking in. Rubbing his new injury, he answered, "Their DNA, Val."

"…Okay, so what's up?"

He sighed. "It's _too good_ a match. Well, until they were ten. It's like… they had the same _colds_, even! And at the same _times!_ … Well, y'know, _ages._ But after they were ten, they differ. Almost like she was… well, that's just stupid."

"Like she was _what,_ Tucker?"

"Like… like she was made out of his ten-year-old DNA. They might not be siblings, but they're _definitely_ related."

"A—Are you saying she's a _clone?!?_"

"I'm saying, something is _seriously_ screwy with those two."

34( 70 !3

"Danlie, did you leave the door to your apartment open?"

Danlie blinked, turning to Jay. Danny stopped in front of her, frozen. "No, why?"

The front desk clerk frowned, chewing on his lip. "It's open. Someone opened it while you were gone."

Danny turned slowly. "Did one of the bellboys—?"

"No. No one opened it. Well, not one of us. Dan, someone… someone picked the lock."

_**It could be Jo,**_ Demo said.

_Or it could be a robber._

_**Either case, they need to get out of your room. Now.**_

Danny nodded. "I'll get 'em outta there. Call the police. Make sure Danlie stays here."

Jay protested even as Danny started running. "Dan! You're still hurt!"

Danny half-turned, still heading for the elevator. "So? That never stopped me before!" he turned back, disappearing around a corner.

Danlie raised an eyebrow. "What does he mean by 'never stopped me _before_'?"

"Dan's always ran straight into trouble ever since I met him, regardless of how hurt he was," Jay answered as he dialed 911.

"_Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"_ a cool voice asked.

"We have a possible break in and/or robbery. Someone broke into an apartment here."

"_Sir, where are you?"_

"The Kalypso. Please hurry, someone went—"

There was a crash from upstairs, and Jay tensed, eyes wide. Beside him, Danlie shrieked.

"_**Sir?**__"_

"Ma'am, someone… someone went into the room." Jay grabbed Danlie's shoulder to keep her in place as she tried to rush to Danny's aid.

"_I've got the police on the way; a hospital nearby is sending out an ambulance, just stay calm, sir."_

"Easier said than done," Jay mumbled as Danlie squirmed to get out of his hold. Hanging up, he looked down at the girl. Tears streamed down her face while she silently cried for her newly found brother.

Jay knew how she felt. Danny was a brother to him, too, after all.

That's probably the only reason he let go.

34( 70 !3

Danny ran up the stairs, not bothering to wait for an elevator. Demo ran through possibilities of what could happen even as Danny debated transforming. He finally decided against it as he reached his landing. In his rush, he forgot his key and just kicked the door down, years of practice as a cop fueling his adrenaline. A crash echoed through the empty hallway.

Something fell in his room.

Danny walked in, immediately reaching to his waist for his SIG before remembering it was in his desk at the APPD. He decided to just fake them out.

"Amity Park Police!" he yelled. "Come out with your hands up!" He looked towards his room, remembering hearing something in there.

A murmur came from the kitchen.

He turned. "You in the kitchen, out here!"

"Jig's up, guys," a voice came from behind Danny. He jumped and turned quickly to see a black-haired, green-eyed guy smirking at him. "The police sent a _fist fighter_ to get us!"

Three laughs echoed from the other rooms as three more black-haired men came out. The four circled around Danny as he settled into a defensive stance.

The green-eyed one chuckled. "Kid, if you actually think you can beat all four of us, you've got a serious beating coming."

"I'd like to see you _try_," Danny shot back.

The four glared. One of the others, this one having gray eyes, answered. "See us _try?_ Oh, you'll _see_ us, that's for sure, but we won't just be _trying!_"

Danny scoffed. "Right. I'm ready to take on whoever comes at me. You four gonna come one by one or all at once? 'Cause either way, you're not gonna be leaving here until the police come."

"Thought you _were_ the police, kid."

_**Oooh, low blow.**_

_Not now, Dem!_

_**Watch out!**_

Danny dodged a punch and countered by swinging his leg around to toss one of the four into the sofa. He went back to his ready stance, motioning for them to come at him.

They were about to close in when a voice cried out, "_**WAIT!**_"

The green-eyed leader turned as Danny looked up. "_Danlie?_" both gaped.

The girl panted, glancing at them. "Jeff… that's D—Danny…."

They turned to each other in shock.

"_Danny?_"

"_**Jeff?**_"

234032

A/N: Okay, so we've got some Danny/Danlie bonding (sorta), a little talk with Tucker (yes, he is still terrified of hospitals, even though he's like twenty-two), and what is that I see? Some Danny/Jay background info?? GASP!

Heh, that's more of a book five thing. You'll see.

Yeah, so Danny's gun equals a SIG P226. I actually Google'd "police guns" and found the main few types. SIG sounded best. ;P

And, introducing Jeff, Josh, Jake, and Jim! Notice how those four have black hair like Danlie (and past-Danny, but he dyed it, lolz). Little way to tell them apart that doesn't really come up, Jeff has green eyes, Josh has gray, Jake has brown, and Jim has amber. Yes, Danlie and Danny both have blue eyes, to set them apart a bit.


	13. BTl 3

A/N: Forgive me, but breaks don't come often in high school!

234032

"Sorry about yesterday," Jeff said quietly, leaning against the sofa.

"Sorry about the police almost locking you in jail," Danny replied, chuckling.

Jeff laughed. "Hey, we've been in worse trouble."

Danny's curiosity perked up. After all, if these guys _were_ his brothers, he wanted to know what they'd been up to.

_**Should've checked their records right away, **_Demo grumbled.

_Hush up._ "Really? What'd ya do?"

Jeff shrugged. "Eh, we've been caught breakin' and enterin' a few times. Mostly 'cause Josh wouldn't leave before trying out all the appliances in the house."

_**What'd I tell you? They're crooks!**_

Shoving Demo's voice away, Danny chuckled. "Tech geek?"

"Sorta."

Danlie walked in with the phone, smirking. "It's your _girlfriend._"

"She's not my girlfriend," Danny protested, reaching for the device. "Gimme that!"

"Say please," she demanded, holding it over his head.

Rather than just stand up to get it, Danny glared at her. "_Danlie…._"

"Say please!"

"_GIMME IT!_"

"Fine, gosh." She dropped the phone, which he caught quickly, pressing it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said. Sam was laughing.

"_Having fun over there?"_

He glared at his two chuckling… siblings. "No. Not at all."

She finally calmed down. _"We got the results on you DNA. You won't believe it."_

"What?"

"_You'd have to see it, trust me."_

"Alright, when should we come over there?"

"_Anytime today. You and Danlie can come whenever."_

"Uh, it wouldn't be just me and Danlie…."

"…_How many long-lost siblings do you __**have?**__"_

"Apparently, five."

"…_**Five?**__"_

"Heh, yeah?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously.

"_You want DNA tests from each of them?"_

"Nah. We'll be down in just a bit."

"_Alright. See __**y'all**__ then."_ She hung up as Danny laughed sarcastically.

"Funny…." he mumbled while putting the phone away. He looked around at his sister… and brothers. For some reason, he could accept that he was related to Danlie easily, but the others… they sent off major warning bells, mostly from Demo. "So… anyone want to go compare Danlie's and my DNA?"

"I'll drive!" Danlie called out, running out immediately. The guys noticed Danny's face and chuckled.

"We feel your pain, dude," Jim said, "but we ain't ridin' with ya."

"Lucky me," he groaned.

34( 70 !3

"Made it in one piece, I see," Lancer commented as they drove up. He turned to Tuck, muttering, "He needs a new driver."

"Hello, sir," Danny said as he got out of the car. Danlie and her brothers followed. "What is it you want me to see?"

"First off, did you know that your DNA is actually a _double_ double helix?"

"Uh, n—no, I didn't. Why?"

"It seems Danlie's DNA is also a double-double."

Danlie ducked down slightly, blushing. The guys behind her glared. "I didn't know," she mumbled to them.

"Didn't know _what?_" Danny asked suspiciously.

_**Ding ding! Warning bells.**_

_Seriously, quit it._

"Th—That I had such w—weird DNA!" she answered.

"Gee, thanks," Danny said sarcastically.

"Danny?" Tuck said, effectively pulling Danny's attention back to them. "You might want to _see_ how close the two of you are." He glanced at Danlie and her brothers to gauge their reactions. "The two of you are identical up to age ten."

There it was. Each of them winced and turned to Danlie as Danny stood there, confused and clueless as to what was going on behind him. Danlie shrugged, grimacing herself. They excused themselves and dragged her off with them.

"Do you… want to see?" Val asked Danny. He shook his head, still in shock.

"How—? How are we—?" he stuttered.

"We dunno, Danny. It could just be coincidence, it could be something else. We'd have to ask her to find out."

"Anything else?" Danny asked, running his good hand through his hair.

"Just that… some of the stuff your blood and hair say you've done is pretty scary."

Danny quickly glanced at Sam before answering. "I had some trouble before I moved in with Vlad."

Sam looked confused for a second before her eyes widened and she nodded.

"Well, I'd better go. They probably want to find some place to have dinner. Bye."

Danny left, causing the rest to turn to Sam. "What did he tell you?" Lancer asked quickly.

"N—Nothing, really!"

"Sam."

She sighed. "Just that… there was some time in between him losing his parents and Vlad taking him in."

"Four years' time?"

"I—I dunno, he didn't say."

"Sam, this kind of thing, we need to know right away, alright? Next time he tells you something like this, you tell us _immediately_."

"I've got it, sir."

"Good. Now, get either Dash or Kwan and follow those six."

"_Sir?_"

"Something's off about their story, and I think Danny won't notice."

34( 70 !3

"Hey, Dan?" Josh called, coming into the room. Danny jumped, making him laugh. "You wanna do something today?"

"Like what?" Danny asked, forcing his heartbeat to slow.

"Goin' to the park? We could play some baseball, or soccer, or basketball, or golf…."

"Golf?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

Josh shrugged. "I don't know. We'll just bring everything, in case."

"Alright, let's go."

_**Bad idea, Danny….**_

_Quit overreacting and leave me alone, Demo. Believe it or not, I know what I'm doing!_

Demo was silent, and five minutes later, thanks to Josh's insane driving (it apparently ran in the family), they were at the park. True to their word, the guys had packed every piece of sporting equipment they owned.

Danny laughed when he saw them taking everything out. "A harness? We don't even have a horse here!"

"Who says we need one to use that?" Jim muttered darkly.

A car pulled in behind the group, driving around to the other side of the parking lot. Jake looked around before spotting an area of the park covered in trees.

"How 'bout we play laser tag in those woods," he suggested. "It looks dark enough."

"Yeah," Jeff said, turning to Danny, "What do you think, Dan?"

"Uh, sure," he agreed, slightly surprised that they were letting him choose.

They quickly grabbed the vests and laser guns they'd need to play before packing up the rest. After locking the car, they walked over to the small forest.

Danny realized it was _definitely_ dark enough as he waited for his eyes to adjust. By then, the others had hidden already. He grinned, running further into the woods silently.

34( 70 !3

Sam and Dash got out of their car quickly, heading for the woods.

"What are we watching for again?" Dash asked cautiously and quietly.

"Anything that'll tip off that they're up to or hiding something."

"It looks like they're up to _laser tag_, Sam," he said, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, _paranoid_ much, Sam? So Dan's family is weird, so what? It's not much weirder than his _other _family. Chill."

"They're up to something, I _know_ it. Things like this _don't happen _normally!"

"They happen to Danny."

"Shhh, I hear something." Sam crept forward, listening closely.

"Dammit," a voice was saying, "we gave him Danlie's gun!"

"We _what?_" another answered in shock.

"He's _already_ stunned Jim and Jake, but he didn't notice!"

"Damn. J's not gonna be happy about this."

"So we don't tell. We'll get him in something else soon as they can move again."

"Right. Let's get outta here before he gets _us_, too. Last thing we need is for our target to put us out of business." The two ran off.

Sam turned to Dash, both speaking at the same time.

"_Target?_"

234032

A/N: Alright, little note here, all the internal dialogue between Demo and Danny was made up on the spot as I typed this. I actually didn't have Demo speaking at all this chapter! GASP! Couldn't have _that_ in a series based halfly on him!

Also, Jim's line about the harness is probably a major spoiler as to why they have all that stuff. But you'll see that a bit later. ;P

That's actually all the notes I have, except for random lines in my notebook about next books, but that would be a really big spoiler!


	14. BTL 4

A/N: Sorry sorry sorry! School, that's all I need to say!

And as a way to maybe both redeem and condemn myself, I am offering to you a sneak peek of my mentioned one-shot Is Forever Enough? Basically, it's AU-ish, involves character death, and it's from Danny's POV.

_Those were the last words I said to her, to __**anyone**_

_Is forever enough?_

_Three little words that crushed her…._

_!5 023\/32 3\0()9-?_

_There's a cycle we go through. Everyone, even Sam. We __**want**__ to be accepted, we __**want**__ to be appreciated, we __**want**__ to get everything we dream for, but we __**don't.**__ We __**want**__ everyone to still accept us after we fail, but we __**aren't.**__ We __**want**__ life to go after we're abandoned, but it __**doesn't.**_

_We __**want **__everything to be perfect, but it __**isn't. Ever.**__ It's all a stupid __**game,**__ and no one wins…._

_!5 023\/32 3\0()9-?_

_It would've been better if I hadn't known. I wouldn't have bothered writing this, and I wouldn't have to worry for my parents and friends. If I hadn't known, I wouldn't have spent the last three months worrying and waiting, trying to find out when it would be…._

_!5 023\/32 3\0()9-?_

_I'm sorry, Sam. That's the worst part of this whole thing. I have to say good-bye to __**you….**_

_**Is forever enough?**_

_**I'm holding on**_

_**I know you'll be there**_

_**Whenever I wake up**_

Okay, now you can kill me after I type up the next chapter of Back To Life:cringes and hides:

234032

"Hey, guys," Danny called as he walked into the living room. Jim and Jake glared up at him, and he winced in remembrance of the day before. "Sorry 'bout the game yesterday. No hard feelings?"

"_Sure_," the bit out.

Danny shrugged at them, then turned to greet Danlie at the door. She yawned widely, not yet seeing him in front of her.

"Hey, Danlie. Sorry 'bout leaving you alone like that yesterday."

Danlie stared at him in shock, blinked, blushed, and ducked away from him. "Y—Yeah… I'm just glad you guys, uh, _bonded_."

Jeff spoke up then, saying, "Oh, Dan, we'll be goin' out, so—"

"Oh, well, I have to check in with Lancer and the others, too."

"—we'll be driving to the other side of town," Jeff finished in a deadpan.

Danny's face fell. "I could just get Danlie to drive me."

"Cool. See ya." The guys left, and Danny sat down on the couch. Danlie seemed to battle with herself for a moment before tossing something towards Danny and heading into the kitchen.

Danny caught it, surprised, but just stuck it into his pocket, not bothering to look at the object.

_**Something's going on,**_ Demo told him, _**I can feel it.**_

He sighed mentally. _I thought you'd shut up. What __now?_

_**Those four are plotting something. **__**They're**__** the ones trying to control Danlie!**_

_Are you sure?_

_**Yes!**__** Now, instead of having Danlie drive you, call up Sam. We can't be too sure where Danlie's true loyalty lies. And anyway, Sam was following you yesterday. She heard more than you did.**_

_She __followed__ me?_

_**I believe Lancer made her, but she **__**was**__** worried herself.**_

…_she __followed__ me?_

Demo sighed. _**Yes, lover-boy, she **__**followed**__** you. **_

…_why?_

And now Demo screamed. _**Because she's **__**worried**__** about you! Damn hormones. Glad I got over **__**those**__** a thousand years ago….**_

…_she's… worried… about __me?_

_**Yes, Dan. Just like how Jazz and Jack always are. Er, **__**were**__**, up until Jo came out.**_

…_she doesn't __need__ to be worried…._

_**It doesn't matter if she **__**needs**__** to be worried, she just **__**is.**_

Danny paused, mulling that over before saying anything else. Demo continued to curse hormones in the background. _I still don't like people worrying over me._

_**So you don't like people to care?**_

…_I didn't say that._

_**You **__**thought**__** it.**_

_Fine, I'll call Sam._

_**Atta boy!**_

_DON'T CALL ME THAT!_

"Dan?" Danlie called out tentatively. "Do you still need me to drive you?"

Danny looked up, trying to figure out from looking at her who she'd be loyal to. Him or them. "Nah," he finally replied. "Someone else will. You should go out. Have some fun, alright?"

The girl hesitated before nodding. She left, glancing back at him once before closing the door behind her.

He sighed, reaching out for the phone and dialing the familiar number. It took only one ring for someone to pick up. "Hi, Mr. Lancer? Could I talk to Sam for a minute?"

34( 70 !3

By the time the car pulled up, Danny was already outside waiting. He jumped in quickly, mumbling a greeting to Sam while trying to keep up with Demo's grumbled logic.

_**Obviously some plot… maybe with…? No, not possible… but what about…?**_

_Make sense or shut up, your choice._

_**Noted. Ah, she's talking!**_

Danny glanced up quickly, noticing Sam's raised eyebrow. "So, why'd you need my help again?"

"Because you followed me yesterday," he answered honestly.

She stared at him, only slightly surprised. "Yeah, I did. Your point?"

"What did you hear when I wasn't listening?"

She frowned at him. "They were calling you a target. That's what stood out the most. I know you were playing a game, but that's _obviously_ not the kind of target they meant. And apparently, the laser guns you were using were actually _stun guns._ You froze Jim and Jake."

He thought that over for a moment. "Oddly enough, it all makes sense. They didn't recognize me when we first met, but Danlie did. Not something you'd expect from 'older siblings'. They brought along an insane amount of sports stuff, and each piece could double as a weapon…. They _are_ controlling Danlie…!" 

"…_What?_"

"They—I think Danlie tried to tell me something this morning, but the guys were too close still. She slipped me _this_, though," he said, pulling out the balled-up piece of paper from his pocket. Sam realized just then that he was using his bad arm, which was no longer in the sling.

"When did your arm get better?" she asked, surprised.

He chuckled. "While my 'brothers' and I were _bonding_ yesterday." 

"Hn. Interesting how powerful restorative, healing abilities of accidentally stunning two of your 'brothers' can be."

"Actually, three," he said, smirking slightly.

She stared for a second before laughing hysterically. "Remind me to _never _play laser tag with you."

"Or dodgeball."

"…I'm not even gonna ask."

"Yeah, school was interesting for me…."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sam said, "So what did the paper say?"

Danny's eyes widened. "Oh, right!" Sam rolled her eyes as he unfolded it and read aloud. "'Simmons Street, 1500. I know what you mean now about J's.'" he gasped, eyes even wider. "What time is it?" he breathed out.

"It's 2:50, why?"

"How long'll it take to get to Simmons?"

"Ten minutes, if we're lucky. Danny, what's up?"

"Put your siren on until we're almost there. _GO!_"

Trusting him, Sam drove as fast as she could to Simmons Street, glancing over at Danny as she followed his orders. After everything that happened the past two weeks, she was ready to trust him about this.

He seemed to have fallen asleep, but his fingers twitched and he was mumbling something. Confused, she ignored him the best she could as she drove as fast as legally possible.

_They're meeting with someone,_ he told Demo.

_**Probably Jo, from what Danlie said. Dammit, I should've figured that out before!**_

_It's fine, but yeah. It looks like Jo strikes again. But getting someone else to do the dirty work just doesn't seem like her. Or Jazz, when she gets into her violent moods. No, they'd want to actually do it themselves._

_**That's why you were using stun guns instead of real guns. She just wanted to get you, then she'd do the rest.**_

_That's more like her, yeah._

_**You have to be careful. She might be able to sense you or Sam if you get too close.**_

_Right. I'll keep Sam from looking up, too. Otherwise, she might get suspicious about "Jazmine" trying to kill me. Heh, my family just gets better and better, huh?_

_**Sure does. Went from **__**one**__** sibling wanting ya dead to **__**six**__** siblings wanting ya dead!**_

…_Five. Danlie can't count. We're not sure about her._

…_**we're here,**_ Demo said, unsure how else to comment on Danny's obvious trust in the girl. Sam echoed him a second later, and Danny noticed then that the siren had been turned off a while ago.

The two got out silently, sneaking over to an opening to an alley where the guys were already talking to Joaquima. The latter looked enraged while the former tried to calm her.

"We'll get him still, J," Jeff was saying quickly. "He's _completely clueless!_"

Sam had to slap her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing at Danny's face.

"Yeah, J," Jake continued. "Just give us another chance and he'll be all yours!"

"How do I know you won't fail again?" she hissed at them.

"Because," Josh tried, "we still have our secret weapon!"

"And that is…?"

"Danlie," Jim replied. "She'll surprise him and get him here, trust us. She's already had practice at kidnapping from her, ah, 'foster' dad." The guys smirked as Jo thought it over.

Danny's eyes narrowed at that comment. _It can't be…!_ he thought.

_**Anything's possible. Not probable, but possible.**_

"What insurance do you have that she will stay in your control?"

"Blackmail, pure and simple. We know her past, and she _knows_ we know," Jeff answered promptly.

Sam glanced at Danny again, gauging his reaction. He appeared stone-faced still.

"Alright. You'll have one more chance. But if you mess up, _you'll _be my next targets!"

"Yes, ma'am," the four chorused.

"Good. Now, what exactly is it that Danlie can do that makes her your so-called secret weapon?"

"Same thing _he_ can," Jake spat.

"Yeah, y'know, all those _special talents_ and _abilities_."

Danny had to force down his snarl at Josh's statement. Danlie wasn't the only one they could blackmail. He ignored Sam's confused look as Jo laughed.

"Oh, I highly doubt she has _all _his, eheh, '_abilities'_. But in any case, if she _doesn't_ kill him, _kill her._"

234032

A/N:GASP!: So, small note for this one: Demo has _hormones???_ Since _when???_


	15. BTL 5

A/N: Chapter Five, finally.

234032

"Danny, what are you going to _do?_" Sam asked as she dropped him off that night. He'd hardly spoken all day.

Danny continued walking to the door, ignoring her calls until she reached out and grabbed his arm. He glanced down at her, calmly saying, "What?"

She sighed. "What are you going to do?" She let go once she saw him thinking over his answer.

"I dunno," he said slowly, shrugging. "I guess it all depends on Danlie's next move."

Sam bit her lip. "…Okay. I'm just… kinda worried for her, too, y'know? I mean, she was sorta _dragged_ into this by them. She might not have _wanted_ to help."

"_Trust me, when you see our b—brothers, you'll realize that I—I'm telling you the t—truth."_

"I know that, Sam. I'm actually thinking the same thing." Now, he turned fully to her, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face. "Thank you for driving me today, Sam. I missed going at _normal_ speeds."

She laughed. "I'll bet. See you tomorrow, Danny."

"Bye," he whispered as she left. He sighed as he walked into the building, dodging just in time to miss Jay.

The blonde chuckled at him, teasing, "Have a good night with your girlfriend?"

Danny's slight nod left him gaping in shock.

34( 70 !3

The next morning, Danny woke up to a slight headache as someone pounded on his door.

"_Whaaaaaaat?_" he moaned, trying to fall back asleep.

"Dan, everyone else is gone!" Danlie's voice came. "I'm _bored!_"

"_Fine,_" he grumbled, sitting up. As he changed, he listened to Demo's review of the past day.

_**She might try something. Don't be surprised if she uses ghost powers.**_

_I know, Dem, I heard them, too._

…_**Sorry. I just want to make sure you're ready.**_

_I get it. Thank you._

_**Right. Get out there before she gets suspicious.**_

_Yessir!_

As Demo laughed, Danny walked out of his room, straight into a gun. The person behind the gun was Danlie, sobbing as she cocked it.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked hoarsely, trying to keep from scaring her.

"Th—they want me t—to k—kill you," she replied.

"And?"

"I—I don't w—wanna. Th—They're forcing m—me. B—Blackm—mail."

"What blackmail?"

"Th—They know I'm h—half-ghost, like y—you."

"Do they have any proof?"

The girl blinked. "N—No," she gasped, the gun lowering.

"Then you don't _have_ to listen. You don't _have_ to be controlled again."

"H—How did you—?"

"It was a guess. I want you to stay here while I go stop them."

"Please, I… I want to help."

"I can't let you do that."

"_Why not?_"

"Because you were going to _kill_ me!" He turned to leave as she sobbed a moment longer. Then, it was quiet.

"M—My 'foster dad' was Ian."

Danny froze in shock, turning his head towards her. "Wh—_what?_"

"Ian Ryder. I've lived with him since I was ten. Since he made me from three-year-old DNA strands he took from you when _you_ were ten."

"You _are_ a clone," he gaped. She nodded. "S—So, Ian—?"

"He really _was_ a sick creep."

Danny hugged the girl. "Danlie, I'm _so_ sorry! If I'd known he was doing that, I would've—"

"You'd _what?_ Try to stop him? _Nothing_ stops him, Danny, you should know that better than me!"

"What do you mean?"

"I was only with him for a _year_, Dan. Only long enough for him to realize a clone wasn't as _fun_ as the real thing."

"Danlie—"

"No. Forget it. Just go get those blackmailing 'brothers' of ours."

The two shared a smile.

"Alright, I will."

34( 70 !3

"Hey, Sam? Could I ask you a favor?" Danny said into his cell phone as he flew around the city, trying to find the guys.

"_Sure, what is it?" _she answered.

"C—Can you pick up Danlie from my house and come back here?"

"_**What?**__ Isn't Danlie—?"_

"No. At least, not anymore. Blackmail only does so much when you've got no proof."

"_Hn. Alright. Where's 'here'?"_

"Uh…." He looked down, finally finding them. He quickly read off the streets to Sam.

"_Alright. Danlie and I will be there soon."_

"Right. Thanks."

"_And, Danny?"_

"Yeah?"

"_How'd you get there without a car?"_

Danny panicked slightly, but used the response Demo threw at him. "Uh, I ran, now that my leg's healed."

"…_oh. …Okay. See ya."_

"Bye." The minute his phone was put away. He dove down at the four young men, who glared up at him as he landed.

"Look what just flew in," Jeff said, grabbing one of the many weapons they had at hand.

"Look what Jo dug up," Danny retorted, changing back. "Seriously, you had to send _Danlie_ to do _your_ job?"

The four glared as he settled into a defensive stance. They laughed. "You're actually going to fight _us_ without a _weapon?_"

"Why not? Do you guys really give yourselves that much credit? It's not like I'll _need_ one," he shrugged. They ran at him, and he dove intangibly through them, picking up one of their weapons as they turned.

He looked down at the stun gun in his hand. "Hn. The one I pick just _happens_ to be my new best weapon."

They snarled, aiming for him again. He fired two shots, both hitting Jim and taking him out of the fight. Danny turned intangible again as they ran at him, but this time they didn't just faze through. He was thrown back a few feet by their attack, looking up to see a green glow around each weapon.

"_Kuso_…" he muttered.

Josh laughed. "You recognize these, huh? You _would_; after all, it's your _parents'_ design!"

"_SHUT UP!_" He fired again, hitting Josh and grazing Jake. Now it was just him and Jeff.

"Give up," Danny said, raising the gun to his eye level.

Jeff ignored him, chuckling. "Do you really think I came without a backup plan?" He pulled out his own gun and fired once into the air. Danny laughed.

"What's _that_ supposed to do, scare me?"

"No, it's supposed to wake us up," a voice said behind him. Danny turned, coming face to face with Jim. His eyes widened and he backed up. He felt his arms get twisted behind his back and winced. Jake, Jim, and Jeff circled around him as Josh held him in place.

"It's really _funny_ how clueless you can be," Josh hissed at him.

The three came closer, pulling out ecto-weapons. Danny strained, trying to get away from Josh's hold.

Just then, a car spun into the alley, Sam and Danlie jumping out. Sam's gun was trained on the guys as she called out, "Amity Park Police! Put your weapons on the ground and walk away from Fenton!"

Jeff turned to glare at Danny as Josh shook him. He chuckled. "It's really _funny_ how you thought I wouldn't bring _back up_."

His captor threw him to the ground, and he landed harshly, coughing. Josh pulled out a gun and fired.

234032

A/N: Gasp, did I actually reveal his name:looks back: Yep, I did. Not gonna tell you who, though. You'll see in book five, maybe book four.

So, Danny not yelling at Jay for calling Sam his girlfriend, hmm interesting….

Not many notes, obviously, except that at least one person dies in the epilogue. BYEZ!


	16. BTL 6

A/N: I felt sorry for the cliffy.

234032

Two hours later, the medics helped sort everything out. Josh had fired rapidly, managing somehow to hit everyone but himself, Sam, and Danlie, who had both been behind the car. Sam in turn had shot him down. Danny had been shot once in the arm and barely missed getting shot in the head.

Danlie broke down and sobbed next to him at the back of the ambulance. He glanced over at her, noticing a smile on her face, even through the tears.

"I'm finally free," she whispered, looking up at him. "I'm free from Ian, from them, from their boss…." She hugged him sideways. "I'm free…."

He smiled down at her as she fell asleep. Demo sighed inside his head. _What?_ He wondered.

_**I guess it goes to show ya….**_

_Show ya what?_

_**Your intuition really **__**is**__** the first thing to go….**_

Danny snorted. _Then yours shoulda gone a long, looong time ago, Dem. You're freakin' old!_

_**I'm only 9,008!**_

…_my point exactly._

Demo sighed again. _**And now we've got a little kid living with us….**_

_Uh, us? Last I remembered, __I__ was the only one who __lived__ in that suite. You, Demo, live in my __mind_

…_**Same thing.**_

_Uh, no, it really isn't._

_**Shut up, your girlfriend's coming over.**_

_She's not my—!_

"Hey, Danny!" Sam called as she walked over and sat on his other side.

"H—Hi, Sam," he answered, giving her a shaky smile. He moved and shifted Danlie some so Sam wouldn't sit on his bandaged arm.

"Does it hurt much?" she asked, nodding at the sling.

He looked down at it, shaking his head slowly. "Not too much. I've been shot worse before."

"So Dash and Kwan have told me," she replied, smirking. She sobered, asking quietly, "So, do you two need a ride back home?"

"Yeah, we do. Thanks, for everything."

"It was nothing. I'm just glad I could help stop those guys. Besides, you would've been in _real_ trouble if I _hadn't_ come."

"Yeah, thanks, Sam."

She grinned at him. "You're welcome, Danny."

34( 70 !3

"_Danny,_ I'm _bored!_" Danlie called out the next morning. Danny sighed.

"Aren't you ever _tired?_"

There was a pause before she replied with a gleeful "Nope!"

He groaned. It was a _Saturday,_ for crying out loud!

"C'mon, Danny! Let's do _something!_"

_**Just go with her already!**_ Demo complained. _**She's **__**so**__** obnoxious!**_

_Like __ I__ was at her age?_ Danny thought back wryly.

Demo was silent for a minute. _**…Yeah, like you were. Gosh, you two really **__**are**__** related!**_

_Shut up_, Danny demanded, blushing and wincing. _Kami, one little time, and no one ever lets me forget it…!_

_**It wasn't once!**_

_SHUT UP!_

"_Dannyyyy!_"

_**God, just amuse her!**_

_I guess I'll figure out __something__ to do today…._

Demo realized what he was thinking. _**Niiice.**_

_Thank you._

"_**Daaaaaan—nyyyyyyy!**_"

"Coming!"

34( 70 !3

"So, what are we _doing?_" Danlie asked excitedly, bouncing around.

"We," Danny replied matter-of-factly, "are playing tag."

Danlie's grin fell. "_What?_" she screeched. "Tag's no fun! It's _boring!_"

"Not when you play with me!" Danny said with a smirk. He tapped her shoulder, calling out as he transformed and flew away, "_You're It!_"

Danlie stared in shock for a moment before her grin came back, turning quickly into a smirk of her own. "You. Are. _On,_ bro!" Her hair flashed white and her eyes green as she took off after her 'brother' for a day of extreme tag.

234032

A/N: Great portion of Danny/Demo mind chats were randomly thrown in here. Also, Josh be dead, along with Jim from friendly fire.

And, wow, foreshadowing in one of the mind chats for a later scene in book six.

It's gonna be called As Everything Changes. And now, your sneak peeks!

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

_Demo laughed as Danny entered the building, checking in quickly with Jay._

"…_well, she didn't burn anything down…."_

"_Oh, __**that**__ makes me feel better," Danny said, rolling his eyes._

"_Dan, she's like you. She's stubborn, but she means well."_

"…_I know. I just…." He sighed. "I'm not used to being an older brother."_

"_Just wait 'til she starts picking up guys."_

_Danny groaned._

_45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635_

_He burst through the door, nose in the air to catch that scent again. He didn't even notice the woman taking in deep breaths of it._

_Well, until he ran into her._

"_Hey!" she yelped as both crashed to the floor. Danny jumped up quickly, turning to help her up._

_She looked up at him the same time he looked down at her._

"_**Danny?**__"_

"_**Jazz?**__"_

_45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635_

_His life had, __**again**__, changed drastically in just a few minutes. He felt like he'd been dropped back in the nineties, with Lancer questioning him. Only this time, he wasn't a witness._

"_Why'd you shoot her?" Lancer yelled._

_He continued to stare down at his feet blankly._

"_Had she done anything wrong? Was she attacking you? __**Why?**__"_

_45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635_

_The man turned toward him, snarling. "You're not gonna make it outta this alive, kid. Hope 'Daddy' doesn't mind."_

" '_Daddy' is __**dead.**__"_

"_Oh, really? Then what about Momma? She __**worried**__ 'bout you, boy?"_

"_Nope. She's dead, too."_

_45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635_

_Demo, I'm not going to __threaten__ a—somewhat—innocent man!_

_**He's not innocent, and you **__**know**__** it!**_

_Demo!_

_**S—Sorry. I—I think we're too close to death row here. All the death-times are overpowering.**_

_So I see! What __was__ that?_

…_**That…that's what happens when… when a Reaper gets desperate. They—we lose control of ourselves… to bloodlust.**_

_45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635_

A/N: See ya in the next book! Byez, y'all!


	17. As Everything Changes 1

A/N: Okay, so I'm writing this while the internet's down

A/N: Okay, so I'm writing this while the internet's down. Lucky you people. Introducing book four, As Everything Changes!

45 3v3ry7h!n9 Ch4n934: As Danlie and Danny adjust to living together, Jazz shows up again. But why is she so calm about the Reaper situation? And why is Danny being sent to prison for shooting someone?

234032

Danny sighed at the quiet. Danlie had been officially tired out yesterday after playing air tag across the whole city. Now, it was _too_ quiet.

_**There's a death-time nearby,**_ Demo declared suddenly. Danny jumped, sitting up straight in shock. He'd never seen Demo this alert before.

_Where?_ Danny knew better than to ignore him.

_**Not sure yet. It's tomorrow, though.**_

_You're sure?_

_**Yes. Positive.**_

_Should we tell Clockwork?_

_**Definitely. Jo's still on the loose. We need to get there first, and we can't be sure without Clockwork's help. Make a portal, qui—**_

"Danny?" a soft voice asked from across the hall.

_Now__ she wakes up,_ Danny thought, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, Danlie?"

The girl came into the room, twisting a piece of her short black hair. "Sam just called to check in. She was asking about your arm."

Danny grimaced. There was a bandage wrapped around half his arm, from halfway to his wrist to his bicep, reminding him of the shootout. "It's fine. _I'm_ fine."

Now Danlie rolled her eyes. "_Sure_ you are. Just like you were fine when Ian locked you out that one winter."

He winced at the reminder. That was the only problem he had with his little clone, the fact that she constantly spewed out information, pain he wanted to keep locked up in his mind.

_**At the risk of sounding like your sister, you shouldn't keep that go se bottled up.**_

_Psychologist much, Demo?_

_**Only sometimes.**_

"Danlie, what did Sam say?" he bit out, his eyes flashing bright green in warning to her.

She blushed. "She wants you to call her back."

He bit his lip. "I'll call her later. First, I need to visit someone."

"Who?" she asked, following behind him as Danny moved into the kitchen.

"A friend," he said cryptically. He handed her some money. "I'll be out all day, so you're on your own for food. Order something. I'll have Jay check in on you."

"Uh, okay."

He turned fully to her. "I'm sorry about this, Danlie, but something _very_ important just came up. You understand, yeah?"

She knew the look he was giving her. It was desperate, begging her to listen to him and not ask questions. She knew that look too well. She'd used that look to hitchhike to Amity Park. She knew the only answer she could give him. "Yeah. Go ahead, Dan."

She knew that relieved look, too. "Thanks," he sighed. "I'll be back in a few hours." He disappeared through the front door.

She knew he'd tell her in time. "You better…."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

After a quick explanation to Jay, Danny found himself in an abandoned alley in ghost-mode. He checked to make sure no one could see before waving a hand in the air in front of him. A glowing green portal opened up. With another glance, he decided it was safe and jumped in, the portal closing behind him.

The greens and purples of the Ghost Zone surrounded him immediately. A shiver ran down his spine as the death-cold sunk into his bones. He always hated when he first landed in the Ghost Zone. The chill could—and would—kill any human unfortunate enough to fall in without protection. As a half-ghost, it still had more effect on him than the other ghosts.

He looked to the right, seeing a giant tower in the distance. With a slight smile, he flew towards it. He landed on the floating rock nearly an hour later, angry with himself for not being able to pinpoint a location for his portal to show up. Clockwork was hovering there, waiting for him.

"Hello, Daniel, Demogorgon. What brings you two to my home?"

"A death time," Danny said, allowing Demo to speak through him.

Clockwork's expression turned grim. "I see. Where?" He led the way inside, stopping in a room full of mirrors.

"I'm not quite sure," he answered, glancing into one of the mirrors. He caught a glimpse of Demo's time before Clockwork raised an eyebrow and waved his staff, causing the mirror to spin around. He grinned sheepishly. "All I know is, it's near my home."

"So, you are saying it is in Amity Park, yes?"

"Yeah. And, I think Jo knows about it." Another mirror caught his attention now. This one, too, showed the past. A dark shadow was looming up, red eyes shining out as a brown-haired man beat someone angrily.

Clockwork sighed and spun the mirror with another wave of his staff. "She does, but it is not your fault." Clockwork glanced up at him, saying, "Can I speak with _just_ Daniel for a moment, Demogorgon?"

Both gaped for a moment before nodding. Danny felt Demo's presence fade away to the back of his mind, like he'd fallen asleep. A faint echo of _**Good luck**_ reached him.

"Wh—What, Clock—ckwork?" he asked weakly.

"Daniel, I must warn you."

"A—About what?" Now, he was _really_ nervous, and not just because of the vision he'd seen in the last mirror. He didn't need those memories surfacing. But it was _never_ good news when _Clockwork_ had to warn you.

"Everything will come back," he said cryptically. "It will all come back to haunt you."

That was another thing about Clockwork. When you wanted him to be blunt, he fed you riddles.

"_What's_ coming back?"

"All of it."

Danny tilted his head, and instead turned his attention to a third mirror. He saw a vague shape and a bed, then heard crying echo through his mind. A flash of light flew at him from the mirror, and he was shocked to find himself suddenly on the other side of the room, Clockwork having teleported him and taken the blast himself. "Wh—What was—?"

"Some of these mirrors, Daniel," Clockwork bit out in a rare display of anger, "are of violent things to pass. You cannot see these, and they will make sure you never do see them."

"But, what was that one?"

"It is not important now! What _is_, is that you know and heed my warning!"

"But all you keep saying is that it's 'all coming back'. I'm no good at riddles, Clockwork. That was Jackie."

Clockwork sighed. "Keep it close to you, Daniel."

Danny blinked. Did Clockwork seriously think _that_ wasn't a riddle? "Wha—?"

"Keep your promise close."

He gasped as the memory caused him to pull down the collar of his usual high-necked shirt. His hands fumbled for a moment before grabbing onto a chain choker. Dangling from it was a silver, half-rusted padlock that shone dully.

Danny glanced down at it, remembering _everything_. Remembering his promise.

_I will __never__ go back. I will __never__ see him. I will never be __that._

"A—Alright, Clockwork," he gasped, barely above a whisper as his face paled in realization. "I—Is that a—all?"

"No. Please, will you call Demogorgon back? I must warn him, too. Alone."

"Okay." He closed his eyes, letting his hand fall from the choker and his collar, hiding it once again as it was hidden every day. He felt his mind switch places with Demo's.

His bright orange eyes looked up at Clockwork. "Yeah?"

"I want to warn you. Stay calm through all of it." Instead of allowing Demo the temptation of looking in the mirror that had just begun showing a glimpse of the future, Clockwork moved in front of it. Demo raised an eyebrow at this, but ignored it. "Stay calm, Demogorgon."

Not quite understanding but knowing this would be important, Demo nodded.

"Something is coming, Demogorgon," Clockwork continued. His eyes seemed weary, and Demo suddenly realized he looked older, even older than his normal old form. "Something from Daniel's past. Something he has been keeping from you. You will need to keep him from going insane during this. He will need you and Danlie both through this, whether he realizes or not. Whether he _wants_ to or not. You must pull him through this. You cannot fail."

"Got it. And, Clockwork?"

"Yes, Demogorgon?"

"Thank you, for helping us."

"I am glad I could."

Demo brought Danny's mind back and told him to make a portal back. Both hid their memories of Clockwork's warnings from the other. Both knew the other would explain when the time was right.

Danny quickly made the portal, arriving right in the same alley they left from.

_**C'mon,**_ Demo told him cautiously, trying to refrain from letting his worried thoughts seep through their connection, _**you still have to call Sam.**_ His mind slunk back to the shadows in his head.

Confused by Demo's sudden quiet, Danny tilted his head before deciding it was nothing. After all, Demo had probably been given worse news before they'd been joined.

_Right,_ he said instead. _And Danlie's probably spent all the money I gave her on __junk food__._

_**She's a kid, Dan. Let her live a little.**_

_I __never__ ate that bad when __I__ was her age!_

_**Dude, you were a **__**health nut**__** when you were her age!**_

_And she's my clone. She should be a health nut, too._

Only slightly worried now that they were joking again, Demo laughed as Danny entered the building, checking in quickly with Jay.

"…well, she didn't burn anything down…."

"Oh, **that** makes me feel better," Danny said, rolling his eyes.

"Dan, she's like you. She's stubborn, but she means well."

"…I know. I just…." He sighed. "I'm not used to being an older brother."

"Just wait 'til she starts picking up guys."

Danny groaned.

"Dan, Sam called three more times while you were out."

"_Chikoshu_…. I'll go call her now."

" 'Kay, Dan."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

Danlie had crashed on the couch after, apparently, pulling out everything she could find. Danny had to step carefully around all his things, putting some back into place, just so he could get to the phone and dial.

"_Hello?"_

"Sam? It's Danny."

"_Oh, you're finally back!"_

"Yeah, sorry about making you wait so long."

"_It's fine. Things are actually pretty boring around here."_

"No murders?" he gasped in mock-shock.

"_Not today, at least."_

"I'll be back in tomorrow, okay?"

_**No, you won't,**_ Demo said, glazed over in his mind. _**You'll be in the museum to stop Joaqui.**_

"Er, sorry, day _after_ tomorrow."

"_Oh? Why the change?"_

"My arm's bothering me again," he said, managing to not stutter. There was a flash of guilt for lying through his teeth, but he forced it down.

"_Really? Do you want someone to come over? Or call a doctor?"_

"No, it's not _that_ bad. I just think it'd be best if I wait another day before coming back in."

"…_oh."_ She sounded vaguely disappointed. _"Okay. So two days?"_

"Yeah, two days." Guilt popped up again, and, this time, he couldn't find the strength to force it back down.

"_Alright. See ya then."_

"Yeah…. See ya."

234032

A/N: Okay, so the whole part with the mirrors was thrown in as I wrote this. Yeah, total foreshadowing of book six/seven but….

Heh, and now Demo and Danny are trying to hide stuff from each other, interesting.

And next chapter you get to see how a Reaper hunts down a death-time!! The joy!!

Byez, y'all!


	18. AEC 2

A/N: Sorry about the long wait, guys

A/N: Sorry about the long wait, guys! Life wants to kill me. Anywayz, I be seventeen on Tuesday!! YAY DRIVING!! XD

234032

Danny could be seen biking through town with his eyes closed and his nose in the air. A car horn blared behind him as he haphazardly crossed the street, eyes still shut tight.

His mind was completely black except for that strange smell and the conversation he was having with Demo.

_**You should've told Danlie,**_ Demo hissed.

_Yeah? Why?_

_**So someone would know where to find you after you get run over.**_

_Ha, ha. Just tell me where to go._

_**Fine. Left. **_Danny spun his handle bar, tilting with the bike as it curved beneath him. Another horn echoed through his mind. _**Yes, piss off the guy driving an eighteen-wheeler. **__**That's**__** good for your health!**_

_Directions, not sarcasm._

_**Sigh. Left again. No, not that far! …Good. Now, straight twenty clicks.**_ He counted off in the background.

_Clicks?_

_**That's the old way we measured. Two.**_

_How do you know all that? Where to go?_

_**Four… I've experience. …Five.**_

_In hunting down a __smell?_

_**Nine… not **__**any**__** smell… twelve… **__**this**__** one… fifteen….**_

_And "this smell" is…?_

_**Eighteen… **__**death**__**… twenty. Right.**_

Danny turned, moving forward again as he cut off a convertible with his eyes closed. _Wait, you mean, __this__ is what __death__ smells like?!_

_**Only to a Reaper. Left here.**_

_It smells so… __sweet__, though!_

_**Dan, you're a full-fledged Reaper now. Death **__**is**__** sweet to you.**_

The teen's mind flickered to his parents, his sister. _No, it's not._

Demo seemed to wince in their mind. _**Well, it hasn't been before, but that's because I hadn't fully surfaced. LEFT!**_

Barely missing a car, Danny turned onto a side street, still not looking. What do you mean by fully surfaced? His nose scrunched up, and not from the increased smell.

Demo was silent for a long time, then, finally, **…nothing, never mind. Right.**

Danny swerved, finally opening his eyes. In front of him, a large building loomed up. He gaped in shock for a moment, still moving, before jumping off his bike, allowing it to crash into the bike rack as he ran inside.

He burst through the door, nose in the air to catch that scent again. He didn't even notice the woman taking in deep breaths of it.

Well, until he ran into her.

"Hey!" she yelped as both crashed to the floor. Danny jumped up quickly, turning to help her up.

She looked up at him the same time he looked down at her.

_**Ohhh, crap,**_ Demo hissed.

"_Danny?_"

"_**Jazz?**_"

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

"Hey, Sam!" Tuck called out as she walked in. "Where's Danny?"

"How'm _I_ supposed to know?"

"Uh, you're the one in love with—OW!" Tuck rubbed his head where she'd hit it. "Dammit, I _just_ got rid of the bruise from that locker!"

Sam glared. Tucker gulped. "So," he said weakly, nervously, "Danny?"

She sighed. "I don't know. He said his arm was bothering him again."

"And that's weird _because…?_ He got _shot at_, Sam. Of _course_ his arm would hurt!"

"I just… I think he was lying."

"So, where _do_ you think he is?"

"Honestly?" She sighed again. "I've got no clue…."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

"J—Jazz! What are—Why are _you_—Why are you _here?_"

_She's not s'posed to—!_

Demo sensed Danny's growing panic and quelled it. _**Sh, the death-time is coming.**_

Danny tensed more. _Which is __why__ I'm worried!_

The woman turned to him, looking confused. Her red hair fanned about her, her blue-green eyes pulled into furrows. "Danny, what's going on?"

He stumbled over his words in his rush. "Wha—What do y—you mean?"

"Someone—Someone's going to…" she sighed. "I don't understand it, but someone's going to die. I _feel_ it. It's—I've never felt it before…. I—I… I _like _it…."

Danny sighed. "Jazz…. I'm sorry…." He hung his head, dark blue hair covering light blue eyes.

Jazz brow crinkled in confusion again. "You're…? For what, Dan?"

"F—For everything." _I can lie to Sam without stuttering, but make me tell the truth to Jazz and I'm Jello!_ "For Mum and Da. For Jack. For… For Demo and Jo…. _For you._"

"Me? What on earth do you have to be sorry for _me_ for?" Her frown hardened. "Wait, Jo? Demo? Danny, who are—?"

"You haven't met Demo, but you know Jo."

An eyebrow flew up. "I—I _do?_"

"Yes."

"How—D—Danny, _how_ do I know her?"

"You know her… because she's _inside_ you."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

"Sam? You okay?" Lancer asked when he noticed her pacing through the room.

"Huh?" She glanced up at him, then shook her head slowly. "Yeah, I—I'm fine."

Lancer knew that trick. "But…?" he prompted.

She sighed. "But, I'm worried."

"For Danny." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, for Danny. I know he got shot and all, but he healed really quickly from that thing with Paulina."

"And you think he should've healed just as fast now."

Finally, someone understood. "Exactly! I—I'm worried that he's… that he's in… in some kind of trouble…. I just don't know what."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

"Danny," she said, calmly, rationally, "I thought _I_ was supposed to be the psychologist, right?"

He groaned. Of _course_ she didn't believe him! "It's _true_, Jazz! And Demo's in me! But we have to get you out of here before Jo wakes up!"

She could hear the panic in his voice, but she hoped to reason it out. "_Why_, Danny? _Who is Jo?_"

"She's… She's Joaquima. She can sense death-times, just like Demo. She—She _enjoys_ killing dying people. Demo tips Clockwork off."

Jazz understood what that meant… _if_ it was all true. "…And… And Demo?"

"Demogorgon," Danny amended out of reflex. "He's her little brother."

"Her perfect little brother." Her eyes had glazed over.

Danny's panic grew, but Demo snuffed it. _**She's not awake… yet.**_ "…Yes," he whispered.

"Like you."

"Yes."

"And she—she's competitive?"

"Just like you."

"Dan, you've _got_ to tell me. Is… Is _she_ the reason Mom and Dad—?"

He didn't need her to finish, nor did he want her to. "No. Demo's the reason Clockwork got to them first."

"Then… then she's—"

"Yes, Jazz. You're—_we're_ Reapers."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

"Sam, want me to call him?" Tuck asked, brow creased in worry, both for her and Danny.

The nervous woman looked up at him. "C—Could you?"

"Sure. I'll be back in just a minute."

"I'm _positive_ you don't have a single thing to worry about, Sam," Val said, hoping to calm her some. "Not a _single_ thing."

"I don't know…. I'm just…. He's still hiding things from us."

"Yeah…."

The two women sighed as Tuck walked back in, a grim expression of his face. Sam jumped away from Val, immediately even _more_ worried.

"So?" she demanded, begged.

Tuck gave her a long look before replying. "He's not at home."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

"Danny, she's—I can't hold her back for long."

He was full-out panicking, surprised that she _wasn't._ "W—W—What am _I_ s'posed to—?"

"That thing has steel bullets, right?"

Danny followed her gaze down to the SIG he carried with him, nodding. "Yeah, it does. But, what's _that_ got to do with—?"

"Shoot me." He got whiplash turning his head to stare at her, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. She sighed at him. "You hit me in the heart, and she's gone. No more Reaper."

"But _you'll_—N—No, Jazz, I—I can't _possibly—!_"

"Then give _me_ the gun." She was grim, her face completely serious. "_I'll_ do it."

"_NO!_" Both stood still for a minute, trying to come up with a solution that would work as Danny's yelp echoed through the hallway. "You—You won't be able to hold her back once you've got a weapon, trust me."

"Then you _have_ to!"

"No, Jazz, I—I _can't!_"

"Do it, Danny. _Quickly_. _Before_ she gets out!"

"No—I—" He tried to think of another way.

Demo, who had tried to avoid his mental eye contact as much as possible, wondered briefly if this was what Clockwork had meant before turning to face Danny down. _**There's no other way, Dan. You **__**have**__** to.**_

"…Okay…."

He pulled the gun out, taking careful aim at his only living sister. She stood there, waiting for the bullet and breathing in that wonderful smell that surrounded them both.

"Go ahead, Dan," she sighed, breathed. "I'm ready."

"I'm not!"

"_Just do it!_" she snapped before her expression softened at his hurt face. "And, Danny?" He stared back at her, eyes shining. "Thank you. For explaining. For _everything._"

_**BANG**_

She dropped to the floor, red blood pooling around her.

He sniffled, unable to stop the tears that flowed from his face, mingling with the blood. "You're welcome… Jazz…."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

"S—So, where—where _is_ he?" Sam looked back and forth between all of them.

"Danlie said he needed to check something," Tuck answered, shrugging. Only his face gave away his worry. "Dunno what, though."

"Oh." She hoped she wasn't being that obvious.

"I'm sure he's fine." Tuck smirked. "No need to be _worried!_"

"I—I'm _not_ worried!"

"Aww, Sammy's got a crush!"

Sam grabbed him by his shirt collar, pulling him toward her and to her eye level. "_Call me Sammy again and I'll kill you_," she snarled.

"And yet you say nothing about the 'crush' line."

"Because I don't have one."

"And your denial proves you do."

Dash's phone rang, and he answered it as they fought. "Hello?"

Everyone, even Sam and Tuck, watched as his eyes grew wide and his skin pale. "Got it," he whispered, "be right there." He hung up.

Four voices spoke at once, five had Kwan been in the room. "So?"

"…There's been a shooting. The only suspect is… is Danny."

234032

A/N: Okay, so more Danny-angst, yay.

Minimal Danlie, only getting that mention.

And the return of Jazz! Er, well, only to be shot at. Woops.


	19. AEC 3

A/N: Alright

A/N: Alright! So I'm sorry to keep you all waiting so long for this, but, unfortunately, the summer got away from me in between German classes (to skip a level and avoid a teacher I don't like) and AP summer work, along with a 4-H trip (w00t CWF!!) and my family's vacation. Busy summer.

So, back to you for the first time since June (?), I present to you As Everything Changes!!

234032

Danny had moved forward onto his knees by the time Lancer and the others arrived. When he had seen she was no longer breathing, he'd administered CPR. His mind was spinning; he was working on instinct.

Meanwhile, Demo had whispered in his head, _**Jo could still be in her….**_ in a ceaseless mantra.

The thought never passed his subconscious.

He ripped off part of his jacket to stop the blood, not noticing where the bullet was. When the police _did_ arrive, an ambulance took her away, glaring at him though he tried to save her. He didn't even resist as Val cuffed him.

After all, he'd just killed the only _real _family he had left.

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

Sam was the lucky one who got to drive Danny to the police station. She glanced back at him every few minutes, realizing he was barely even _breathing_ on his own. They'd had to force him away from his spot on the ground. He hadn't moved since, sitting there just staring at his feet.

She couldn't say she didn't expect him to be like this. Wouldn't _she_, if she'd shot her sister, be in that kind of shock? But there had to be _some_ kind of reason behind it, there just _had_ to! Either he'd gone crazy, or….

She had to jerk at the wheel to avoid crashing headlong into a car going the other way at the realization. She glanced backward, noticing that Danny still hadn't responded.

…Or his sister had.

That could be it. She could've been doing something wrong, and Danny shot at her to stop her.

But no matter what, Danny was looking at a few days in jail before a trial. And that was only if he cooperated.

…Oh, dear….

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

His life had, _again_, changed drastically in just a few minutes. He felt like he'd been dropped back in the nineties, with Lancer questioning him. Only this time, he wasn't just a bloody witness. He was a bloody _suspect_.

"Why'd you shoot her?" Lancer yelled.

He continued to stare down at his feet.

"Had she done anything wrong? Was she attacking you? _Why?_"

Danny continued to ignore him, instead listening to Demo.

_**Jo might be gone, but you **__**killed**__** your **__**sister**__** because of **__**my**__** stupid problem! I shouldn't have told you to….**_

_No, if you hadn't she would've taken the gun from me. We __both__ know how dangerous Jo is with a weapon. Hell, she's even dangerous __without__ a weapon! If Jazz had taken that gun to her heart herself, she'd be alive and everyone else in the building would've been dead._

_**Either way, she's gone.**_

"_FENTON!_"

Danny jumped, finally looking up at Lancer's bright red face.

"Answer. The. Question."

"Wha—What was the question?" he croaked, speaking at last.

"Let's start with my first question, shall we? Did you shoot your sister?"

"Y—Yes."

"Why did you shoot her?"

"Because I had to." His voice was getting progressively smaller.

"Did she attack you or someone else?"

"N—No."

"Then _why_ did you '_have_' to?"

"Sir, I—I can't answer that question."

Lancer looked down at him, eyes narrowing. "Then _I_ can't keep you out of prison."

45 3\/32/7-!\6 (-4\635

The cell Danny was put in already held someone. And, unlike Danny, this guy actually _wanted_ to kill someone.

He was burly yet skinny, and reminded Danny of some of the bullies at his school. It didn't help any that he was about ten years older than Danny.

But Demo seemed to think it was funny the Danny was so afraid of the murderer.

_**A Reaper that's scared of a killer, ha!**_

_Shut it, Dem._

_**I'm sorry, would you like to cower in fear in peace?**_

_Demo…._

_**Sorry… it's just…**__**so**__** hilarious!**_ Demo lapsed into chuckles, leaving Danny alone for a while.

The murderer walked over to him, glaring. "What are _you_ in fer, kid? Stealin' Daddy's car?"

Danny settled into a defensive stance, backing up a few steps. The man laughed.

"You think you can actually _fight_ me, boy? You're not in some fancy mansion any more, punk, you're in _my_ house." He moved at Danny, who ducked and dodged around him. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that most bullies underestimated their targets and moved slow.

The man turned toward him, snarling. "You're not gonna make it outta this alive, kid. Hope 'Daddy' doesn't mind."

" 'Daddy' is _dead._"

"Oh, really? Then what about Momma? She _worried_ 'bout you, boy?"

"Nope. She's dead, too."

"So, you're just some orphan who got in trouble, huh?"

"Basically."

"No one to go home to?"

"Only my sister."

The man laughed. "Cute sob-story, kid, but I'm not buyin'. You think lyin's gonna stop me from killin' you, huh?" He threw a show punch.

Danny grabbed his arm and twisted it around. The man yelled out. "Nope, I think _I_ am." He let go, kicking the man down in front of him before settling back into his stance.

The man got back up, growling at Danny. "You've got some nerve, kid, tryin' to hurt me like that!"

"_Trying_ to?" Danny laughed. "By your howl, I think I _did_ hurt you!"

The man ran at him, throwing out his fist. Danny dodged around, spin-kicked him, and jumped to kick him to the floor. The man fell harshly and didn't move. Danny relaxed, walking around to check that he was breathing.

The man sat up, pulling one of Danny's feet out from under him. He landed on his back, his head hitting the hard ground. He blinked the spots out of his eyes as he stood back up.

The killer stared at him. "_How the hell're you still standing??_"

"Hard head," he answered, rapping his knuckles against the spot he had hit. The murderer's eyes widened when he looked at Danny's. He could've _sworn_ they'd been _blue_ a minute ago….

Demo smirked mentally. Danny's mind had blacked out, so Demo took over.

The next day, Danny woke up to see the man on the ground, knocked out cold. Demo was still grinning.

_What'd you do?_ he asked in shock.

_**Taught him not to mess with us.**_

_Geez, first Paulina and now __this….__ Remind me not to get on your bad side…._

"Fenton!" the guard now standing at the door barked.

Danny jumped, turning to him. "Y—Yes?"

"You've got a visitor." The door opened, and the guard looked around seeing the man on the floor. "What happened?"

Danny shrugged. "He was like that when I woke up."

_**Good job. Technically, not a lie.**_

_Shut up._

_**Done.**_

The guard gave him a look and led him to where a _very_ familiar blue-eyed girl was waiting at a table.

"_Danny!_" she squealed, running over and hugging him. "Oh, my god, are you okay? I heard and rushed over here and I told Vlad and—"

"Sh, Danlie, I'm fine," he answered, watching out of the corner of his eye as the guard left. "What is it?"

"Dan, they told me you shot Jazz."

"Yeah, I did. But she's dead, so that means Jo's gone for good."

Danlie's face grew somber, a sad look in place. "Danny, they took her to the hospital."

"What? But why didn't they—?"

"Dan, you—you tried to save her, right?"

"I gave her CPR, but it wasn't—"

"It worked."

"Wha—?"

"She _lived_, Danny."

234032

A/N: Okay, so I totally couldn't kill Jazz off. However, that also means Jo's still alive.

Eh, not really many notes on this one, but I did have to go back and rewrite "the murderer's" character, due to a twist I didn't see coming in book five, which, for future warning, is gonna be a long one.

Also, officially on book seven! YAY!!

Now, I better go finish my summer work, so read and review, please!!


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